On Barcelona's Champions League Triumph

The inquisition has already started. English commentators are already scratching their heads and doing their maths and trying to explain just what went wrong. And why. And where. And how. Just how could the English champions be so easily pushed over? Just how could the best team in the world end up looking like a pack of shambles?

The answer actually lies in the opposition. It was not so much because of Manchester United playing their worst as FC Barcelona playing their best. It was not so much as Nemanja Vidic looking the worst defender in the world as Andres Iniesta looking the best player in the world. It was not so much as Cristiano Ronaldo unable to perform his tricks as the Carles Puyol and Sylvinho not letting him hoodwink them. It was not so much as Michael Carrick and Anderson unable to control the midfield and Xavi and Andres Iniesta completely dominating them. It was not so much as Rio Ferdinand not being able to stop Lionel Messi as Messi making him stand and watch score a free header.

Barcelona and Manchester United was supposed to be the best match anywhere in Europe this season. These were the two best teams in Europe, one with the most galactic attack, the other with the most difficult-to-break defence, one side that was playing the most entertaining football in the world, the other side that merged romanticism with effectiveness to perfection, one that had this season's best player, the other that had last season's best player.

In the end, though, it was Barcelona who came out on top. After the intitial nine minutes in which Cristiano Ronaldo came close once and so did Ji-Sung Park, it was Barcelona all the way to the final whistle. The Blaugrana scored their first goal in their first attack when the much understated Andres Iniesta sliced through the United defence with a demeanour as if he didn't care that there were defenders around him, passed the ball to Samuel Eto'o who scored for the second time in a Champions League final. From the moment Eto'o's goal went in, Barcelona were in the driving seat and never for one moment did they look back.

Cynics had claimed that Barcelona were able to play their galactic football only because they were allowed to and that they can be stopped. Chelsea's 10-men-behind-the-ball tactics had shown the footballing world that Barcelona can play in only one way and cannot adapt and against Europe's most flexible team that can play in virtually any formation (read Manchester United), Barcelona would fall flat on their faces.

Only, they didn't. Instead it were Man United who were made to look stupid as they crumbled under the galactic pressure of Barcelona. The only player in white who looked decent was a certain Cristiano Ronaldo but even his performance on the evening would not have allowed him to make the starting xi of this Barca side. Xavi and Iniesta dominated the midfield, Thierry Henry created two great chances for himself and was denied by Edwin van der Sar, Samuel Eto'o didn't look too much up for it but was still visible and scored the opening goal of the match, Lionel Messi showed why he is better than Ronaldo at the moment as he continued to dribble past the United defence even when he was marked by three men.

Moreover, the Argentine scored a goal, a rare header. It was a simple one though but this was his first goal against Premier League opposition in 11 attempts and although he wasn't the best player on the pitch -Xavi and Iniesta overshadowed him in that aspect- his urge to drop into the midfield, collect the ball, run at the United players, draw three or four players around him and then slip through a pass to his teammates was as much sumptous as indicative. Messi has been the most consistent and best footballer in Europe this season and he is still 21.

Even Barcelona's defence, missing three key personnel on the evening namely Eric Abidal, Rafael Marquez and Daniel Alves, managed to stave off the United attackers. Defensive midfielder-turned-central defender Yaya Toure was strong as ever, Gerard Pique showed his maturity and progress, Carles Puyol was brilliantly well positioned and sensible and Sylvinho played an intelligent game.

As for the United players, well, none of them could do much against a classy and superior Barcelona. England's best striker Wayne Rooney was the worst attacking player on the pitch, Ji-Sung Park proved that he doesn't have the calibre to play against the best team in Europe, Michael Carrick demonstarted that he is always overrated, Anderson is not a finished article, Ryan Giggs showed his age, Patrice Evra's big mouth turned small, Vidic had the worst game of the season and Rio Ferdinand could only stand still and watch one of the tiniest player on the pitch score with his head.

Maybe United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could have started Carlos Tevez from the start and that would have added more class to a United attack that was woefully runover by the opposition. Barcelona's defence was always going to be vulnerable, so a Tevez running would have added to Barca's susceptibility.

Yet the bottomline is that United were undone by a superior opposition. Barcelona were never an overrated side anytime in the season and in Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Eto'o and Messi, they have the most formidable attackline in the world. They stuck to their philosophy of playing attacking, attractive football, a philosphy first brought to Catalunya by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff in the mid-1970s. Barcelona have become the first Spanish side ever to win a treble, a historic feat, something they have achieved with more than just conviction.

Subhankar Mondal