Manchester United: Red Devils Should Hold Heads High Despite Loss to Barcelona

As David Villa curled Barcelona's third goal into the top corner of Edwin Van der Sar's near post, it was immediately apparent to everyone in the stadium that Manager Pep Guardiola and his seemingly invincible Barcelona side would once again hoist the Champions League trophy.

Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson threw Nani and Paul Scholes forward in attempt to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, but ultimately there was no way through, around, or over Barcelona's defense.

Perhaps if Fergie's side could have possessed the ball a tad bit more they would have had a chance, but Barcelona continued to dominate possession, even after taking a two-goal lead.

As a loyal United fan, I have no problem admitting that Barcelona was by far the better team.

In fact, just making it to the Champions' League Final itself represents a remarkable accomplishment.

During the 2008-2009 season, United was largely touted as the best team in the world.  Capable of spending as much as necessary to secure top talent, United flexed its financial muscle by paying just over £30 million to add Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov to an attack already featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tévez, and Ryan Giggs

After capturing a third consecutive English Premier League title, mighty United seemed poise to win a second consecutive Champions League title over Barcelona and rookie manager Pep Guardiola.

However, after producing a promising start against the Spanish Champions, United fell apart.

Samuel Eto'o scored on Barcelona's first foray forward, and the Catalans proceeded to dominate the contest with Lionel Messi adding a second goal during the second half.

While United played hard, Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tévez simply could not produce the form which saw the trio dominate opponents throughout the past two seasons.

Unfortunately, the misery of a lopsided Champions League defeat was the least of worries for United fans.

Within two months, Fergie sold want-away Ronaldo to Spanish giants Real Madrid for £80 million while Carlos Tévez rejected an offer to convert his two-year loan into a permanent move.

Supporters expected Fergie to immediately reinvest the funds from Ronaldo's sale into building a new corps of superstars.  They also expected Berbatov to vindicate his £30.75 million price tag.

Neither happened.

With the American-based owner Avram Glazer seemingly no longer willing to compete financially with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, and Berbatov reveling in mediocrity, many worried if United could win another EPL title let alone advance to the Champions' League Final.

Against all expectations, Ferguson kept United afloat guiding them to within one-point of a fourth consecutive EPL title in the 2009-2010 season.

If not for a questionable red card in a Champions League quarterfinal match against Bayern Munich, United likely could have protected the 3-1 scoreline necessary to advance to the next round.

Facing an over-matched Lyon squad in the semifinals, United would have likely advanced to the finals for the third straight season despite lacking Ronaldo and Tévez.

In preparation for the 2010-2011 season, Fergie demonstrated tremendous foresight by signing relatively unknown Guadalajara striker Javier Hernández.

Combining with a resurgent Rooney, 22-year-old Hernández scored 21 goals in his his inaugural season with the Red Devils.

With Berbatov finally proving his worth by adding another 21 goals, United prevailed over much heavier spenders Chelsea and Manchester City to capture their fourth EPL Title in five seasons.

Defeating Chelsea over two legs in the Champions League quarterfinals before dominating upstart FC Schalke 04 in the semifinals, United completed an unlikely return to the Champions League Final.

While defeat is always painful, Fergie has worked miracles just to guide United back to the Finals of Europe's elite competition. 

Having already pledged to dip deeper into the transfer market than in previous seasons, the wily Scot looks certain to keep United firing on all cylinders for the upcoming season.

Maybe, just maybe, a revitalized Fergie and a revitalized United squad might have a second chance to unseat the Spanish Champions.

As it is, three Champions League Final appearances in the past four seasons is not too shabby.