A Particle of Boredom

Renjuna Dot Com  examines the strengths and weaknesses of Barcelona and Manchester United ahead of the Champions League final on Saturday.

BARCELONA

Strengths: Barca keep possession like no other team in the history of the game.

They are patient in the extreme and are capable of holding onto the ball for minutes at a time, even when put under pressure. Like the great 1970 Brazil side, they can slow the game down to a crawl or produce lightning-quick one-touch football at will, which is often able to break through the most resolute of defences.

Their attacking full-backs often allow them to stretch opponents and nullify any potential threat from the opposition’s widemen. They have also developed a hugely-impressive pressing game when out of possession, with the aim of winning the ball back as high up the pitch as possible. Both their attacking and defensive approach is helped by the fact they rarely play a pass of more than 15 yards.

Weaknesses: Like Arsenal, Barca don’t really have a Plan B, although, unlike the Gunners, their Plan A is so difficult to combat, it rarely lets them down.

They have struggled in the past against physically bigger sides, such as Chelsea and Inter Milan, and their high pressing game can leave them exposed to quick attacks, especially long balls if their opponents have strikers capable of holding it up or exploiting the space in behind their defence, while goalkeeper Victor Valdes can be prone to the odd error.

Real Madrid also proved in the Copa del Rey final that ‘parking the bus’ for an hour and attacking late on can be a successful tactic if used correctly.

MANCHESTER UNITED

Strengths: Sheer energy is Manchester United’s greatest strength when they are playing well. Several of their players could run all day and keeping their passing at a consistently high tempo allows them to overwhelm opponents at times. It is no coincidence they complete so many second-half comebacks, with many teams who score against them eventually deciding to sit back, inviting wave after wave of attacks.

United have great quality out wide going forward, both in midfield and full-back areas, while they have the ability to mix up their game when necessary.

Weaknesses: Although their defenders and goalkeepers are among the best around, they have been guilty of poor decision-making at times this season, something which could prove fatal against Barca. They also risk surrendering possession when attacking with pace, something which is not normally a problem against most teams as it is not long before they see the ball again. That will not be the case against Barca, who will deprive them of it for long periods.

They also lack the physicality to outmuscle Barcelona’s defence, meaning any long balls towards Wayne Rooney or Javier Hernandez will need to be even more accurate.