How Man United Must Approach Barcelona

By Nigel Phillips

The day was Wednesday, May 17, 1999, the setting was Camp Nou in Spain and the battle was a Champions League final match between Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

The Red Devils from England trailed the Germans by Mario Basler’s 6th-minute free-kick as the game approached its death.

Alex Ferguson introduced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with 10 minutes remaining and the striker created United's first chance of the half with a dangerous header which Oliver Khan dived to save.

United won a corner just as the fourth official indicated three minutes of injury time. David Beckham flew the corner, Dwight Yorke put the ball back towards the crowded area of the penalty box, Thorsten Fink failed to clear his lines as the ball went to Ryan Giggs on the edge of the area.

Gigg’s right-footed shot was weak and poorly struck, but it went straight to Sheringham, who swiped at the shot with his right foot, and nestled the ball in the bottom corner of the net. The goal was timed at 90+0:36'.

Less than 30 seconds after the subsequent kick-off, United forced another corner. Beckham again swung the corner in, finding the head of Sheringham, who nodded the ball down across the face of goal. Solskjær reacted fastest, shot out a foot and poked the ball into the roof of the Bayern goal for United to take the lead. The goal was timed at 90+2:17'.

The 2-1 win and how it came gave everybody emotionally attached with United the most memorable spectacle of all time, and Solskjaer, whose goal lifted the trophy for the Red Devils has alluded to it times without number.

On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Solskjaer will enter the Camp Nou once again, this time, not as a United player but a manager faced with the task to eliminate the dreaded Barcelona at their own backyard.

Of course, the arrival at the Camp Nou would awake some nostalgic feelings in Solskjaer, but everything would die out the moment the referee whistles for the commencement of the Champions League second leg quarter-final match.

Solskjaer’s Red Devils have a mountain to climb as they lost the reverse fixture at home by 1-0.

Barcelona are the clear favourites, but United ironically have generated some confidence from the first leg being that they didn't concede as much as was widely predicted in the pre-match discussions.

Whereas the current United squad does not boast of the same quality as the class of 1999, Barcelona, with their talisman Lionel Messi, is regarded as favourites against almost every opposition in world football regardless the venue of the match.

United can edge out Barcelona; yes, but that can come only through a miracle. Miracle in the sense that it must be a day that nothing would work for the Catalans and vice versa.

It would be suicidal for United to open up because they cannot survive Barcelona's passing game, and the hosts would have it easy creating defence-splitting passes, chances and scoring.

United's biggest weapon is their wings and they would have a chance in the game if they can combine that with flawless defensive play.

The Red Devils must defend well. They must not feel shy to park the bus because it is not bad to defend against a side that possesses better passers of the ball and dribblers than you. They must contain Barcelona and prevent them from getting clear sights at goal even as the hosts dominate the game.

Whiles at it, their wingers should be alert and ready to explode anytime the ball is won in the defensive area and given to them. It should not take the team more than four passes to get into the Barcelona final-third whenever they go on a counter break, and they should be accurate in front of goal since chances would come in handy.

United must be flawless in everything they do on Tuesday night, that hinges on a miracle; the same miracle that led United to turn a 1-0 defeat into a 2-1 win with Solskjaer providing the winning goal at the same venue, 20 years ago.