Man United Is No Barça

On Wednesday the 26th Feb 2013, the whole world was brought to a stand still. What has now become a blockbuster football match that many know as El Clásico was about to be played to a global audience for the second time in 2013. As usual, there was more to it than just a spot in the less lucrative Copa del Rey Final, where the winner would eventually go on to play one of Sevilla or Atlético Madrid, this was another chance to see an epic battle between Cristiano Ronaldo, who half the world feel deserved to be the Ballon D'Or winner, and Lionel Messi who just as the case is with his Portuguese nemesis divides opinion over whether he deserved the Ballon D'Or or not.

Egos, bagging rights and Ballon D'Ors aside, this was a game which commanded a keen interest from one Sir Alex Ferguson who was among the 80,000 that filled the Nou Camp, as well as at least every one of the 650 plus million fans who claim to support Man United globally, reason being a more than small matter of a Champions League second leg round of 16 match, that will take place in a little less than a week from now. The game started in a manner that most expected, with Lionel Messi putting a less venomous shot a few inches from Diego López's side post (he is usually lethal than that by the way). 

For many Mancunians Messi shouldn't have been a RVP doppelgänger for missing that shot, but then what happened a few minutes after that would actually worry a fair amount of Man United fans, Barcelona holding their all too familiar  high defensive line way up the middle of the pitch were about to collapse. Real Madrid under very clear counter attacking instructions from their gaffer Jose Mourinho lumped the ball to Ronaldo who had to deal with Gerard Piqué. At any given day, Piqué is no match for a jet heeled Ronaldo when it comes to a 'cat chase mouse' game and the obvious happened, Ronaldo fast tracked his way to the Barca 18 yard area and waited for Piqué to commit, he did that and the referee had made up his mind that a penalty is what Real deserved, and a yellow card is what Piqué deserved for his transgressions.

Ronaldo duly took the spot kick duties and José Manuel Pinto could not do anything but grin in anger. What followed after was pretty much similar, Barça defending high and Real Madrid looking to catch them on the counter. You could be forgiven for assuming that Sir Alex was surely taking note of how Gerard Piqué and Carles Puyol were being tormented by the pace in Real Madrid's wings with Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil and Angel Di Maria being tormentors in chief. You can only ask yourself what significance the Copa del Rey final that by the way ended in 3-1 embarrassment for Barcelona, held over the next week's Champions League tie between United and Real Madrid.

A lot of food for thought it should be for Sir Alex whose trip to the Nou Camp wasn't a waste of airline ticket cost but a trip worth its bother. Real Madrid at their best are a dangerous beast that can dissect its way through any defense in world football today. Any defense? Not any defense but rather a defense careless enough not to know its obvious weaknesses that played right into the hands of the rival. Carles and Puyol and Gerard Piqué aren't the fastest central defensive duo in the world. What were they doing so high up the field in a game that their direct nemesis was a played famed for his electronic speed?

United have been more than careless while facing speedy players this season, remember Gareth Bale vs. Rio Ferdinand on the 3rd EPL match day of this season? I Am sure you do. Sir Alex Ferguson should be smart enough to know that he should not do the same mistake he did in the two Champions League finals against a Pep Guardiola led Barcelona. While facing Madrid, United need to be patient, maintain a strict defense.

Writer: Geoffrey Lea @geoffiejeff