It’s the hope that kills you. When Manchester bid to host the 2000 Olympics, the city wasn’t close to being favourite against global heavyweights like Sydney and Beijing, yet in the hours leading up to the announcement in Castlefield in 1993, I started to hope.
Started to believe the hype and became convinced that an upset was possible.
I witnessed similar among Ricky Hatton fans ahead of his fight against Floyd Mayweather; when logic and good reason dispensed in favour of hope and glory - the pride before the fall.
And I was guilty of the same at Wembley on Saturday. More the fool me. I should have known far, far better. This Barca team is brilliant and I’ve been watching them live 30 times a season to know that.
So why did I start to think that United would triumph? That revenge for defeat in Rome would be sweet? That a team full of outstanding home grown World Cup winners, a team with a record for turning on the style even in the biggest matches, would someone falter against United?
United boosted that hope once the pre-match hype was finally allowed to pass, the news that Dimitar Berbatov hadn’t even made the bench had been absorbed.
Once the dancers dressed as city gents had done their turn on the Wembley pitch and the PA system had been turned off to allow the 25,000 United fans an attempt to make some noise, a game of football began between the two teams considered the finest on our planet.
As in Rome, United started so well. Ji Sung Park dispossessed Daniel Alves and Lionel Messi in the first five minutes. As in Rome, Barca got over their slow start and began to establish control and create opportunities.
United dominating and winning games has been a cornerstone of my adult life. When it doesn’t happen it feels wrong, yet Barca dominate matches too – and they have superior talents to any team in the world to do so.
They also boast Messi, who is on his way to becoming the greatest player this planet has ever known.
Seeing great players with exalted reputations chasing the shadows of Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and Villa was unsettling. There were times when United, a team good enough to be crowned English champions for a record 19th time this season, couldn’t keep the ball for more than five seconds. It was not supposed to be like this. And then Wayne Rooney scored – and a flash of hope was felt by every red.
“United! United! United!” hollered the red hordes stood behind banners celebrating Busby and Ferguson, Crewe and Crumpsall.
With the scores level, United had a chance.
We all know what happened in the second half.
Credit to Barcelona. They’re brilliant and they have the good grace not to be arrogant with it. They have been blessed with a generation of supremely gifted footballers who they nurtured since the age of 11 or 12.
Guardiola was bold enough to blood unknown youngsters like Pedro and Busquets in favour of bigger names like Yaya Toure and Thierry Henry.
He’s consistently got rid of anyone whom he sees as a threat to the team ethic, star players like Ronaldinho, Deco, Eto’o and Ibrahimovic.
The respect Guardiola and his players gave United before the match was almost reverential, yet United didn’t get a chance to do the words justice as the boys in white couldn’t get the ball for large swathes.
“Barca toyed with us,” said former Reds striker Andrew Cole, who shook his head as he left his seat in the United section alongside Gary Pallister and Denis Irwin. “They tampered with us like a cat playing with a ball of wool.”
The United fans sang ‘We’ll never die’ as the clock counted down and the humiliation became complete. This great club, the reigning champions of England, have overcome far bigger obstacles than meeting a superior football team.
It’s the hope that kills you but United will never die.
What do you think? Have your say.
Andy Mitten: Credit to Barca, brilliant but not arrogant
May 30, 2011
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When you have 6 world Cup winners plus the best player that's ever lived, then you know it is a going to be some team! We just have to hold our hands up and admire the golden generation that Barca are going through at the moment. But all teams lose at some point, and i think this set back has ignited the fire in Fergie. We will rest, regroup and go again and try to be the team that upsets Barca's endless trophy haul. With 19 league Titles and 3 Champions League finals in 4 years is a magnificent achievement, even more so when we apparently have the worst United squad in living memory if you listen to certain people. De Gea, Cahill, Modric, Sneijder and Benzema would be nice additions to what is a good squad.
Interestingly for such an "all conquering" club (supposedly managed by the best domestic manager ever) United have only won ONE FA Cup since 1999 too.
I applaud Ferguson for his fantastic Premier League record, but United have never impressed in any Champions League Final under him. (Not that there has been many, for a club of United's recent stature, either!) And it seems Wembley is becoming a bit of a graveyard for his "post 1999, big game bottlers" now also!!
Without doubt this Barce side is best side in the history of football a side that would take the 1970 Brazil side apart.
Although Giggs and Carrick and have been good this season for us and have been instrumental in United getting their 19th title and becoming The Most Successful Club in the English League, against the likes of Xavi and Inesta it was a different story. Carrick is no where near the likes of the Barce two and Giggs legs just could not cope with them.
If United are to compete in future then it’s time for a midfield duo like in 1994 and 1999 that will be able to attempt to compete against Barce’s midfield who found monopolising the centre of the park far far too easy. Sneider, Modric and Nasri could be good options and are available according to the press, then maybe just maybe next time we could put on a half decent display against Barce and not the humiliating display that we had to endure yet again on Saturday.
Sorry Ferguson, but once again your tactics looked poor. Some of our players looked lost like they didnt know or understand the game plan. We desperately needed Berba to hold the ball up.
All credit though to Rio and Vidic, outstanding.
As for Barca, the best team in the world by far. But all this rubbish about best ever team. They are nowhere the great Milan team of Baresi, Van Basten and Guillt. I remember when they came to Old Trafford for a friendly in 1988 and they were immense.
There is a severe lack of world class players in world football and as a result Barca look better than a similar team would in the past. Too many athletes and not enough footballers in the game but hopefully the one good thing that will happen from coaches watching barca is that our national youth system will encourage footballers to take up the game again.
As for United, if you had said we would win league, get to final of European Cup and semis of FA cup back in August with this midfield. I would have taken it.
Liked this article bcos it is analytical and has not followed all the lazy journalistic comments that hype the dazzling brilliance of Barcelona, Of course they are a more than formidable unit however they are not X - men super heroes. They can be beaten by a team that is as quick in mind and movement with the ball but more importantly without the ball. This is the true secret of their success. With almost perfect tecnique in receiving the ball and retaining possession, even while closely marked ,players still need an outlet/option for the pass and the movement of all their players to support the player in possesson gives them that - in fact more than one option they have several.
Together with a ruthless mentality of jointly as a unit hunting down the ball when it is lost
so normal service as far as they are concerned is resumed.
Anyone who has played this game knows that it is more physically demanding without the ball than with it. Before kick off as the camera panned along the teams Barca looked a diminutive side ,no real physical height or weight .Yet they were super fit, fast and appeared to float over the pitch. That is their trademark bcos they believe the ball belongs on the floor. ManU could nt even exploit their lack of stature at any set pieces bcos we did nt have a single corner. Needed Rory DeLap to get the ball in their box.
Finally a team as good as Barce does nt need help yet we gave it them for all 3 goals!
Evra at fault yet again for drifting into the middle conceding space for opponents to exploit something he has done ALL season for 1st . 2nd goal VDS ??? enough said.
Sorry SAFyour tactics were naive in CL final again. Mistake not to have BBT option on bench and we were crying out for Fletcher in midfield in 2nd half as Park was exhausted. BBT is not in SAF plans that is clear
it not only shows barcelona superiority but, in fact a true lack of Sir Alex to change a game tactics on the move, I'd change Valencia for Nani, and even Scholes for carrick after the first half, it looks like barca's shoot out practise on target, Man Utd should had reinforced midfield, and carrick and Tony was no sharp that night, quite dont understand why not Berba was not on the bench.. i'd even tried to put him left or even under rooney with chico upfront..
the kid just ran out of gas chasing balls, the only decent one he got was offside (barca red him very well)..
Yes Barca are an amazing side but we have twice made them look unbeatable. What was SAF thinking by putting Carrick & Giggs up against their midfield?? Hindsight is a wonderful thing but how many Reds really thought we would win with that team?? I was expecting something new something innovative after Rome but we didn't learn any lessons. No one has out footballed this team & we were never going to be the ones to do it. I know it is against all United tradition to play defensive but flooding the midfield was the only option especially with the players available. Hopefully the penny will drop but don't hold your breath. I'll move on now...........
Scholes retired? Great player but should have done that about five years ago, let's hope Giggs is next! Time for a revolution, starting with sacking the negative Mike Phelan, change Fergusons role to Director of Football or General Manager, and employ a manager who has tactical knowledge in Europe! FERGUSON = 2 European Cups in 25 years, GUARDIOLA = 2 European Cups in 3 years
Scholes retired? Great player but should have done that about five years ago, let's hope Giggs is next! Time for a revolution, starting with sacking the negative Mike Phelan, change Fergusons role to Director of Football or General Manager, and employ a manager who has tactical knowledge in Europe! FERGUSON = 2 European Cups in 25 years, GUARDIOLA = 2 European Cups in 3 years
Couldn't hear your fans on T.V. andeh. You're not making this up are you?