Arjen Robben Must Be Stopped by United To Claim Win Over Bayern

It is never easy to face an old foe.

In the movie The Departed, Matt Damon's character, Collin Sullivan, plays a hardened criminal who has managed to infiltrate the police department. His sole duty is to collect information for the Irish mafia, led by Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson).

In abandoning the badge in favor of the perks of protecting a criminal syndicate, Sullivan embraces the stress of working undercover, doing whatever possible to undermine the efforts of the police and eventually discover the identity of an agent (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) working within Costello's crew.

Tonight, Arjen Robben will play the character of Sullivan, providing Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal with key information that will no doubt enable Bayern to counter a Manchester United side eager to uncover Bayern's deficiencies and exploit them as they chase for a much-needed victory.

Back in 2004, Robben, Bayern Munich's talented winger, was close to signing for Manchester United, having toured Old Trafford and Carrington with his father, seemingly set on a move to Lancashire.

Ferguson then believed that Robben would provide a perfect complement to Cristiano Ronaldo, assuming Ryan Giggs' favored position to create a dynamic combination on both flanks.

In being lured to Chelsea in a $24 million deal, Robben joined an emerging project rather than a dominant franchise, embracing the potential of Abramovich's vision over Fergie's experience in developing young talent.

Robben's decision was duly criticised by the United camp, who had been undercut by the ambitious Blues for a marquee player.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Robben's compatriot within the Dutch international team, led the critics, suggesting that Robben's move to Chelsea was purely motivated by money.

"It's very stupid to join Chelsea when United are interested in you," Van Nistelrooy said. "I don't understand that boy. He came to United for a day and was very enthusiastic. It was his dream to play for United." (Manutd.com)

Although joining Chelsea is not akin to working for the mafia, Robben, like Sullivan, possesses talents effective in undermining the team who invited him within their ranks.

His experience in playing against Manchester United at Old Trafford, in conjunction with his own individual skills, will provide a sizable test for a United defense that was exposed by Bayern just a week ago.

In hindsight, Robben's desire to join Chelsea turned out to be a correct one.

Under the tutelage of Jose Mourinho, Robben was able to guide Chelsea to two successive Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and two League Cup trophies in three years with the Blues.

Playing in a dangerous 4-3-3 formation, Robben became a key figure for Mourinho, providing adequate width in support of Didier Drogba and his fellow wingers Joe Cole and Damien Duff.

Chelsea's success condemned Ferguson and United to three years without an EPL title. This streak was compounded by takeover discussions with the Glazer family.

United, however, was in a transition phase.

The promise of Ronaldo, Rooney, and Darren Fletcher was undermined by their lack of maturity and experience. Ferguson's failures in the transfer market of 2003 and 2004 did little to strengthen the side as Liam Miller, Kleberson, David Bellion, and Alan Smith failed to impress.

Robben faces a far superior side to the one he faced as a Chelsea player.

Despite the absence of Rooney, United still possess a wealth of experience in Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, and Patrice Evra. This, coupled with the exuberance of Nani, Antonio Valencia, and Rafael, gives United a chance of overturning a deserved 2-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena.

Robben, however, may well prove to be the deciding factor.

His performances for Bayern have been outstanding, often overshadowing Franck Ribery's contributions this term. A sumptuous strike against Fiorentina in the last round was a testament to his ability to change results.

United must then deploy themselves like a police squadron, keeping the peace and otherwise cooling the threat of the riot Robben promises.

In The Departed, Collin Sullivan meets his end. United will hope that the same will apply to Robben at the final whistle.

In essence, United must place considerable focus on Bayern's dutch marvel. The scene may resemble a Hollywood motion picture, but Ferguson will hope to neutralize the man who knows how United ticks.

An undercover operation this is not, but Robben's ability to influence key matches will be imperative if Bayern hopes to secure passage into the next round. For United's sake, Fergie will need to ensure this mission is a failure.

Then again, Ferguson could always recruit Staff Sergeant Dignam to do the job.

Where is Mark Wahlberg when you need him?