What had gone all so wrong for United?

BARCELONA proved to be worthy winners of the European Cup this season with a mesmerising display that all but crushed Manchester United early this morning in Rome.

It was supposed to be a match between two of the world’s best sides, famed for their free-flowing attacking football, but as we all saw, only one side turned up. It wasn’t even a boring game where United played to negate the Barca triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto’o.

It just was simply a one-sided game with mesmerising (did I say that already?) football played by the Catalans.

In his post game comments, Sir Alex Ferguson said that the absence of the suspended Darren Fletcher had robbed United of its steel in midfield, although he freely admitted that Barca were the better side.

But what do you think went all so wrong for United, after a bright first 10 minutes?

Fergie warned: play full team against Hull or prepare to be sued

SIR ALEX Ferguson has been warned by the relegation-threatened clubs that Manchester United could be sued if Hull City won against the recently-crowned champions as a result of a much-weakened United team on the pitch this weekend, reported The Sun (read article here)

Sunderland, Hull, Newcastle and Middlesbrough are still fighting to avoid the drop, with West Bromwich Albion already relegated. Victory over United on the final day of the season will help the Premiership newcomers preserve their top flight status for another season.

The thing is, with the title already in the bag and a Champions League final against Barcelona less than week after the Hull game, Fergie wants his players as fresh and injury-free as possible, and he has already hinted that he would rotate his team for the final game of the season.

But Premier League rule E20 states that “In every league match, each participating club should field a full-strength team.” Fielding a weakened team would not only contravene the rules, but show disrespect to a competition that actually qualified them for the European spectacle, said some critics.

The debate here is: Should Fergie preserve the integrity of the Premiership by fielding a team that is capable of winning against Hull, or should he rest all his top guns for the Barcelona clash?

How would you stop the Barca juggernaut?

How to stop Lionel Messi? (Picture: AP)

CHELSEA face an in-form Barcelona tomorrow morning (Singapore time) in the Champions League semi-final at the Nou Camp, and for the Blues, the match could not come at a worse time.

While the Premiership club have been revitalised with the appointment of interim coach Guus Hiddink, chalking up 11 victories in the Dutchman’s 15 games in charge, they face a Barcelona that had all but swept aside Bayern Munich in the previous stage of the competition.

A particular area to note would be Chelsea’s left flank.

Leftback Ashley Cole is suspended for the first-leg, after receiving a yellow card in the second-leg quarter-final against Liverpool. That flank just so happens to be the favourite hunting ground for Barca’s wonderboy Lionel Messi, who has grown from strength to strength this season, and surely a shoo-in for one of the contenders for the World Player of the Year award this season.

Without Wayne Bridge, who has since departed for Manchester City, Hiddink seems to be thinking of using Bosingwa to keep the mercurial Argentinian in check.

Problem is, Messi isn’t the only problem that Chelsea have to face. Strike partners Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry have been prolific in front of goal this season as well, scoring 27 and 17 goals respectively.

Given the situation, what would be your strategy if you were Guus Hiddink?

How would you shore up United’s defence?

WITH this morning’s 2-2 draw between Manchester United and Porto in the Champions League, any hopes of a United resurgence after the 3-2 weekend win over Aston Villa have all but evaporated into thin air.

While they previously have only conceded almost 30 goals in 52 games in all competitions this season, they have shipped in 10 in the last four games. Even Sir Alex Ferguson have admitted the fragility of his defence after a last-gasp equaliser by Maciano left the Old Trafford faithful high and dry.

Are the English clubs heading for a slaughter tomorrow morning?

CHAMPIONS League action returns tomorrow morning (Singapore time), as Italian clubs Inter Milan and Roma face off against English clubs Manchester United and Arsenal.

While English football seem to be on the ascent, with three of last season’s Champions League semi-finalists hailing from England, tomorrow’s fixtures could prove tricky for both United and Arsenal.

United’s defence is decimated by injuries – with Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra the only fully fit and eligible defenders available. With Anderson still out through injury, United could be forced to draft Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher into defence, or rush John O’Shea and Jonny Evans back from injury.

On the other hand, Inter are riding high on top of the Serie A table, with Jose Mourinho managing to bring the best out of Adriano, who seemed to be on his way out of the club earlier this season. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is reaching the peak of his career, while Mourinho has an excellent track record against Alex Ferguson, winning five of their 10 Premiership encounters when he was at Chelsea.

In the other “Italy v England” game, Arsenal’s midfield is decimated by long-term injuries. Cesc Fabregas, Eduardo, Tomas Rosicky, Theo Walcott are all out, while Andrei Arshavin is cup-tied, leaving a shaky midfield core of Denilson and Alexandre Song. That, and the fact that Arsenal’s goals have dried up of late, is hardly comforting for any fans of the London club.

Roma will probably play their usual 4-6-0 formation, choking the midfield while constantly rotating the targetman, with Francesco Totti pulling the strings.

Will the English clubs survive the Italian onslaught tomorrow morning? I hope not, but I am not holding my breath on that.

Who will partner Rio on Wednesday?

DEFENDING European champions Manchester United travel to the San Siro this Wednesday morning (Singapore time) with just one fit centreback eligible to face Inter Milan, after Jonny Evans limped out in the second half against Blackburn.

Nemanja Vidic is suspended, following his red card at the World Club Cup last December, while club captain Gary Neville is still suffering from a virus and a strained leg. Wes Brown is also out, after breaking his metatarsal in training earlier this month.

John O’Shea is still doubtful, and the United medical staff are working overtime to get the Irishman’s heel in shape for the Inter game.

If that does not fall through, any one of these senior United players should get the job of partnering Rio Ferdinand in defence – Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher and the young Rafael.

Who would it be?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: My pick would be Fletcher, if the rest don’t come through by Tuesday. The Scot has faced much criticism for his inconsistent performances over the past few seasons, but the 25-year-old has come through for United this season, shining in the early parts of the season where the champions were struggling to find their feet.