I AM writing this less than 24 hours after Barcelona defeated Manchester United 3-1 in the final of the 2011 European Champions League at the Wembley Stadium in London, England on Saturday, May 28. By the time you are reading, what will be the talk of the town is the international friendly match between Nigeria and Argentina in Abuja on Wednesday, June the 1st. Currency of news and local relevance suggest that the Nigeria-Argentina game should be my focus this week in Soccertalk, but that would be letting history happen before our very korokoro eyes without properly documenting it. Barcelona’s performance last weekend is the stuff of legends and it will be talked about for a very, very long time.

But first, my commiserations to all Manchester United supporters. When I forecast five weeks ago (after the semi-final first leg between Barca and Real Madrid) that the 2011 Champions League trophy will end up in Spain, I received tons of backlashes from United fans. Having watched all the teams regularly, I had come to the non-partisan conclusion that the Spanish sides would be too much for United to handle and I repeated the forecast here, last week. Sometimes, surprises do happen in football and the underdog may upset the favourite. But last Saturday, there were no surprises and Barcelona proved what an easy prediction it was after all that they were too good for United.

A quick look at the statistics tells the story: Ball possession 68%-32%; Attempts on goal 13-1; Corner kicks 6-0; Goals scored 3-1; all in favour of Barcelona. The only statistic where United outscored Barca was in the number of fouls committed (16-5), which illustrated how desperate and frustrated United players became as the pass-masters of Barcelona held them spell-bound with their intricate movements and sublime finishing.

United lost not because they didn’t play well, but because they hardly saw the ball. And if you don’t have the ball, what can you do with it? Apart from the opening period when they flattered to press Barcelona just as in the Rome final two years ago, the Red Devils were chasing shadows the whole night the moment the Barca orchestra settled down to business on the huge, inviting Wembley pitch. Any footballer will attest to the fact that when you keep chasing the ball without getting it, you tire out quickly both physically and mentally. That was what happened to United.

In attack, Javier “Chicarito” Hernandez who was tipped to trouble Barca’s defence with his lightening pace barely touched the ball in 90 minutes. Pep Guardiola had started Javier Mascherano in central defence instead of Carles Puyol apparently to curtail Chicarito’s runs. But with the Mexican’s normal supply line (Ryan Giggs) effectively cut off, it was left to the over-worked Wayne Rooney to salvage some pride for United with an equalizer that turned out to be a consolatory goal.

In midfield, Park Ji-Sung and Michael Carrick who play like super-stars in the English Premier League for United found themselves completely out of depth against Barca’s twin-magicians, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. That constantly left the fast and dangerous Lionel Messi, Pedro and David Villa in Barca’s attack with lots of space to pepper the United defence at will. Each of them got a goal, and there could have been more, but for several crucial saves by the retiring goalkeeper Edwin van der Saar in goal for United.
This article is not meant to highlight United’s failings, however. Instead, it is to underline the superiority of the current Barcelona team over what the rest of Europe – and probably the rest of the world- has to offer in terms of opposition. Manchester United fans should therefore take consolation in the fact that they were beaten, not just by the best team on the planet at the moment, but probably the best team ever assembled to play a game of football.

Football historians have compared the current Barcelona team with three of the greatest club side selections ever seen. These are the Real Madrid side that won the first five editions of the European Cup between 1956 and 1960; the Ajax Amsterdam side that won three European titles in the mid-1970s; and the AC Milan side that was champion in 1989 and 1990. Pep Guardiola’s team may yet surpass them all. That’s how good they are.

 In February this year, I wrote about the “Legends of our Era” and admonished soccer fans, irrespective of club affiliation, to always watch with rapt attention whenever Barcelona was playing because what we are privileged to be witnessing is the making of a generation of legends. I hope United fans will overlook the disappointment of last Saturday’s defeat and congratulate themselves instead that they are part of the history! There’s no shame at all in losing to, probably, the best team of all time.

I have read quite a number of reports and reactions on the Battle of Wembley (some might say “Thrashing of Wembley”). Following are some of the most poignant as football writers, players and coaches fall over themselves to capture in words the astonishing performance by the Catalans. Watch out for the superlatives: masterclass, peerless, special, greatest, fantastic, mesmerizing, super, genius, unstoppable, brilliant, beautiful, perfect. Guardiola’s team is everything rolled into one and more.

It is, indeed, a privilege to watch Barcelona play. Perhaps one thousand, five hundred pounds (about N390,000 naira) for a Wembley seat on the black market would have been worth my while after all……

BBC Sport:

Barcelona delivered a masterclass to inflict another Champions League final defeat on Manchester United as Lionel Messi inspired an emphatic victory at Wembley. United may dominate in England but Barcelona demonstrated once more, in front of Wembley and an estimated television audience of 300million, that they are peerless on the European stage.

United’s thoughts were scrambled as Barcelona moved the ball around with ease. Sir Alex Ferguson cut an agitated figure in the technical area as he pleaded with his players to concentrate in the face of the Catalans’ domination. Barcelona lifted the famous trophy for the fourth time and United were left to wonder how they can halt what seems to be an unstoppable force.

Soccerphile:

It’s official: Man Utd were no match, Barca are the best. Manchester United longed for a revenge for the defeat to the same rival suffered just two years ago at the Stadio Olimpico, but instead Barcelona asserted their domination in world soccer. The Red Devils ran, pressed and tackled, managing to neutralize Barca’s evasive passing game for the better part of the first half.

Wayne Rooney lived up to his reputation and even managed to bring United level on 34 minutes (with a hint of offside), not long after the explosive Pedrito put Barcelona ahead. When United could no longer sustain the superhuman amount of physical effort, the Catalans’ skill and passing combinations prevailed (with second half goals from Lionel Messi and David Villa).

Herald Scotland:

BARCELONA chose the home of English football to confirm they are the kings of Europe with an emphatic 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final.Goals from Pedro Rodriguez, Lionel Messi and David Villa, with Wayne Rooney briefly giving United hope by equalising before half-time, underlined the Catalans’ credentials to be considered the greatest club side of all time.

The scoreline was an accurate reflection of Barcelona’s superiority as they claimed their fourth European Cup – the last two from finals against United – at the ground where they first lifted the premier prize in European football 19 years ago (1992). What became a one-side contest left Sir Alex Ferguson and his side with a bloody nose, but no complaints. They were outplayed, out-passed and out-scored.Pep Guardiola’s team sheet, meanwhile, could just as easily have read: superstar, megastar, World Cup winner, icon, with Villa, Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Messi et al in their line-up.

Glasgow Sunday Mail:

IT WAS billed as the Perfect Final. And we weren’t let down. Barcelona were simply brilliant as they shattered Sir Alex Ferguson’s dream of winning the European Cup for the third time. Inspired by the brilliant Lionel Messi, the Catalans blew Fergie’s side away to conquer Europe for the fourth time.

It was thought United were the only ones who might be able to stop the team rated by many as the greatest club side ever. The Old Trafford men were also desperate to avenge their defeat by Guardiola’s side in the 2009 final.But Barca swept them aside with a masterclass of thrilling football at the scene of their first European Cup triumph in 1992.
Mark Lawrenson, Former Liverpool defender:

Lionel Messi is a footballing genius. We can talk long and hard about getting close to him, but it’s very difficult to do. The ball is always at his feet, he’s always got options. He can have the ball under any sort of pressure. I think when you look at this in years to come, you’ll think how good Barcelona were - they were special, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to watch them play like that.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager:

“Nobody’s given us a hiding like that but they deserve it. They play the right way and they enjoy their football. They do mesmerize you with their passing and we never really did control Messi. But many people have said that. In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced.”

“I think that great teams do go in cycles, and I think the cycle they’re in at the moment makes them the best in Europe, there’s no question of that. How long it lasts, whether they can replace that team at a certain point, who knows? But they certainly have the philosophy.”

“It’s always difficult to say whether you’ll be able to replace players like Xavi and Iniesta at a certain point. Probably not. But they are enjoying the moment and they deserve to because they play football the right way.”

Rio Ferdinand, United defender:

“They are a fantastic football team with great individuals, but more importantly, they are a great collective team.

Patrice Evra, United defender:

“We have to accept that for the last four years Barcelona have been the best team in the world, and United the second.”We know each other, but they know each other so well, so perfectly. Every time Messi gets the ball he knows Xavi is going to be there, Pedro is going to be there, or Iniesta. It was very difficult, Barcelona keep the ball really well.”

Steve McLaren, former England manager:

Barcelona’s performance was an education for any footballer or coach watching. That was how to play football. Not just in possession, not just with the ball, not just in their movement - and they always seemed to have an extra man in all areas - but in the way that they closed down, pressed and hunted the ball.

Barcelona didn’t allow Manchester United to play any kind of football. That was probably the most disappointing thing about the night - in the end, Pep Guardiola’s side ran out very easy winners.

 We thought things would change in the second half but they didn’t. It looked reminiscent of a basketball game, where everybody defends around the edge of the box. Barcelona were just keeping the ball, waiting for the opportunity, being patient, and then delivering.

Lionel Messi, in particular, was sublime. He gave an unbelievable performance; we talk about big players performing on the big stage, and he has done it every time. You can talk about tactical things like man-marking but Barcelona have so many players who are comfortable on the ball - Iniesta, Xavi, Villa, the list goes on.

It’s an underestimated skill, it’s intelligence. Manchester United started well and posed Barcelona a question but the Spanish side solved it. Messi, especially, solved it - he became the extra man in midfield. But they did it themselves, no-one was shouting from the sides.

Our coaches should look at that game and realize that it represents the future of football.

 Barcelona play total football, that’s their philosophy - not just in terms of what they do on the ball but also what they do off it.

Patrick Collins, Mail Online:

As the men of Manchester staggered away from Wembley, with legs heavy and minds muddled, their conquerors accepted the acclaim of a continent. They bowed and they beamed with sheer pleasure, knowing they had achieved something stunning, revelling in the glory of an enchanted evening.

In the entire history of this beautiful game, few teams have ever approached the state of perfection which FC Barcelona enjoyed in this European final.

Stripped to its essentials, their method is one of pure simplicity: pass, move, search for space and pass again. But it was the speed, the urgency and the beguiling audacity of it all which took the breath away. Guardiola’s men believe passing and movement will open every door.

Siasia, Beware of Ethiopia

lI HAVE  been repeating the above warning to Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia for some time now and I hope he takes heed. Irrespective of the outcome of the high-profile friendly against Argentina, it is the result of our Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia this weekend in Addis Ababa that is crucial.

During the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, it was the Eagles’ failure to beat “minnows”

Rwanda away in Kigali that resulted ultimately in our failure to qualify for Germany. The match ended 1-1 and the Eagles came back talking about how many times they hit the Rwandan goal-post as if that was what we sent them to do.

This weekend in Addis Ababa, the Eagles must put the ball in the Ethiopian net and win the game, no more, no less.  Any dropped points could be fatal to our 2012 Nations Cup chances and I hope Siasia and his boys realize this.`

This is a must-win game; a draw is not even an option. I wish the Eagles the very best of luck.