Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that his side have what it takes to beat Barcelona to claim the UEFA Champions League cup.
Barcelona are sure to be the favourites in the upcoming final (which will take place at Wembley on the 28th of May), with many football fans lauding them as the best footballing club in the world. But, while Barcelona have proved they are a more than formidable force, sweeping aside quality teams such as Arsenal and Real Madrid on their journey to the final, Sir Alex believes that to underestimate his team would be a grave error.
His team are riding high on victory at the moment, after beating London rivals Chelsea 2-1 yesterday to all but secure the Premier League title this season, barring a major error.
And, despite criticisms that this years United squad lacks the star quality it has often featured in the past, the team has remained unbeaten in their entire European campaign this season. They have also scored the most goals, and will secure a historic 19th Premier League title by gaining just one more point from their remaining games.
However, the pain of 2009’s Champions League campaign will remain fresh in the veteran manager’s memory, when Barcelona beat Manchester United in the final to become European champions.
“In the final last time, we started off really well, then gave away a bad goal. After that Barcelona kept the ball very well, as they always do”, the manager said about their last final encounter with the Catalan side.
When asked about the tactics in the game, he added, “What we have to do is find a solution to the Xavi-Messi-Iniesta problem.
“Everyone is searching for that because they are outstanding footballers. We have our share too.
“We have players who can cause any team a lot of bother and hopefully those attacking players will give Barcelona problems that everyone thinks they are going to give us.”
