Five Reasons Manchester United Failed to Beat Barcelona

The Absence of Darren Fletcher

Scottish midfielder Fletcher has been a mainstay in the Red Devils side this season, starting with vital goals early on in the league campaign to towering performances in vital UEFA Champions League ties.

It was evident on Wednesday night in Rome there was something very much missing in the United midfield, and I believe it was Fletcher.

Not only could the Manchester club not get a hold of the ball after going 1-0 down, but when they did eventually get possession, it was often wasted with sloppy passes or simply no player made himself available.

Countless times I saw John O’Shea wave Rio Ferdinand away when he had the ball, telling him just to get rid of it up field. With no one fetching the ball from the centre backs, like Fletcher would normally do, Nemanja Vidic and Rio were forced to hit long aimless balls in the direction of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

In essence, the midfield link was missing.

A quick point too, to remember the tracking back of the Scot on that faithful night away at Arsenal, when Fletcher was sent off for tracking back and putting a tackle in.

Oh, how United would have loved someone tracking back and tackling on Samuel Eto’o last night.

No United Player Capable of Handling Lionel Messi

Messi was outstanding last night, showing how in my opinion he is a far better player than United’s Ronaldo. Even when players in white got near him, they were unable to put a decent foot in.

One wonders again if Fletcher could have made an ounce of difference.

I think not, apart maybe from tracking the Argentine star at Barcelona’s second goal.

The subheading above tells a bit of a white lie, as I do feel there was one Manchester United player capable of doing a job on Messi—Rooney. The England forward is full of energy and tenacity as well as being a player who never gives up.

Rooney was able to outmuscle Messi on numerous occasions last night as he dropped deeper and deeper looking for the ball, therefore encountering the midfield maestro.

It sounds crazy, Rooney man marking, but if anyone in a white shirt last night was capable of doing a job on the Argentine, then it was the former Everton man.

An Unsure Rio Ferdinand

Does anyone remember Rio being so shaky in recent years?

When he first signed for United, and indeed during previous spells at Leeds United and West Ham United, I wasn’t 100 percent sure of his ability at the highest level. He, however, has proved me wrong over the years, going on to be one of the world’s top defenders in what was, until last night, one of the world’s top defences.

But last night that man was missing and was replaced by the indecisive, slack, flash Ferdinand of old, and this may well because he was unsure if he was fit, unsure to which level he could take his game.

His unsure mind (clearly not 100 percent confident) was clearly visible on the park as sloppy back pass after sloppy back pass was shovelled Edwin Van Der Sar’s way.

This was added to by silly flicks in his own box because he had been caught out of position and finally his positioning for Barca’s second goal.

Should he have played?

I think not, but it is easy to say so now.

No Aggression Shown By United

United could easily have been ahead inside 10 minutes, but we all know Barca struck first. What we didn’t know was that United would have no answer. So obviously the main reason they didn’t win is because United went 1-0 down—but what about the players' reaction to the goal?

There was sloppy nervous passing, chasing shadows, very little leadership, and no cutting edge.

The midfield three (four including Park Ji-Sung) were terrible and pretty much did nothing right for the final 80 minutes.

I only noticed one difference in the second half, and it was the introduction of Paul Scholes. The veteran immediately appeared next to the centre backs looking for the ball and quickly followed this up with a strong tackle on a Barcelona player, which earned the former England international a yellow card.

Why oh why did someone not do it earlier?

Booting players off the pitch isn’t my idea of fun or the perfect way to play, but when your team is down and out like United were on Wednesday night, it is time to pull finger and get stuck in. Well done Paul Scholes.

One solid tackle can change the momentum of a game; it makes the opposition think twice when they have the ball. Whenever United did put some pressure on Barcelona, it wasn’t long before they were passing backwards, so a bit more pressure could easily have forced some chances.

Sadly for fans of United though, their players were, it appeared, mesmerized.

Edwin Van Der Sar and Senior Players Failed to Stand Up and Be Counted

The Dutch keeper failed to hold on to anything all night and failed to inspire any confidence at all. He was beaten at his front post for the first goal, possibly not a glaring error but a situation he would have expected himself to deal with without conceding a goal.

It was a night where the old heads withered and died. With no leadership, United were awful and lacked any sense of a top football team, as 11 top class players were left to their own devices.

Their choice: to chase Barcelona’s coattails.