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Three days from now, Barcelona will travel to the Theatre of Dreams for their quarterfinal clash against Manchester United. The Red Devils, despite being in a cold run of form, will have a much fresher squad who had a good week of rest and training. In contrast, Barcelona has almost wrapped up LaLiga, the hard way, against Atletico Madrid yesterday.
The last meeting between the two sides came in the finals of the competition back in 2011. Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was one of those 92000 people who witnessed Barcelona's clash against Atletico Madrid.
Even though he might have thought he would find some weaknesses to exploit, Barcelona hasn't really revealed anything.
Let us take a look at five factors which could decide the quarterfinal clash between these heavyweights.
#5 Counterattack or all-out attack?
Your move Ole. You have two ways to go against Barcelona. One is to sit tight and hit them on the break. A high defensive line, high fullbacks, space on the wings, all of this looks really appealing to play on the counter. Don't be mistaken though.
Barcelona does this always and how many teams have been able to hit them on the counters? Does Ole have the pace to hit Barca on the counter? Yes. Marcus Rashford. But can Marcus Rashford finish chances in a 1v2 against Barcelona's defenders?
The second idea is to press the lives out of Barcelona. Don't let them knock the ball around, don't let the players think, just don't let them be comfortable. Does United have the quality to press Barcelona out of the game? We think no. Lyon was different. Their defensive midfielders were young and fast and mobile, but still, they were outplayed. Who thinks Nemanja Matic can press Busquets? Or do you think Fred has a chance against the press resistant Arthur?
In a realistic way, the first one seems a much sensible option. It is flattering to see all those Spanish teams do really well against Barcelona when they press them. But United doesn't have the personnel to do it. Neither can they face a heavy press from Barcelona if they look to play possession.
#4 Can David de Gea pull off a Jan Oblak?
We saw Jan Oblak against Barcelona yesterday and he was terrific. Eight big saves, five of them against Lionel Messi. Oblak might have won a point for Atleti on his own. The only time he really got away with it was against Alba 1v1.
Otherwise, he denied Coutinho from point-blank range, denied Messi from his favored zone five times. It might have looked like Messi was hitting straight at Oblak but it was Oblak getting right behind Messi's shot, every single time.
Eventually, it needed two brilliant pieces of play from Suarez and Messi to beat Oblak. Can de Gea deny them the same way? On one hand, you think that de Gea has done it some many times. He had saved United against Juventus in the group stages, against Tottenham in the league, against Arsenal last season, all alone. So why are we doubting de Gea?
Then, on the other hand, you realize that it will be Chris Smalling or Phil Jones starting alongside Lindelof, or maybe Bailly and Lindelof. Now, Atletico had Godin and Gimenez in the middle of the defense. Still, Barcelona put two goals past a 6ft tall man who was brilliant on the night.
Does someone really think that the defense can help de Gea enough to hold on for 90 minutes? 90 minutes against Luis Suarez who got his bullet on target from outside the box? 90 minutes against Philippe Coutinho who could curl it from any given angle? 90 minutes against Lionel Messi? That is expecting too much from your keeper but then again de Gea is used to this.
#3 Paul Pogba will play, but where?
Paul Pogba missed out on the second leg against PSG and Manchester United had to turn the game around themselves. He will be available for the clash against Barcelona but where will he play? It has a lot to do with the tactical set-up that Ole has planned and also the formation.
Ole has tried out various formations in which he has deployed Pogba at CAM, CDM, CM, RM, and thankfully he hasn't been asked to play as a central defender. So many roles but the best fit for Pogba has to be the central attacking midfielder role.
But even that has so many dimensions to it. If Manchester is playing on the counter, then attacking midfielder role doesn't mean much. It is going to be a no-nonsense run at the defense and a look to finish. Creation doesn't matter here.
Even if the plan is to play on the counter, does Pogba help out in the defense or does he lurk around to pounce on the counter? Does he run through the middle or through the wings? Everything is very important because he is their best player.
If I was Valverde, I would not want Pogba to attack. So Pogba must be attacking even if he is playing on the counter. Next thing. Where does he run through? Not through the wings. He doesn't have the pace, the whole defense would get back in the meantime. The best option is to run through the middle, try to get Pique and Lenglet to backtrack, try a shot or try to lay it off, whatever. It will be tough for Pogba to be the guy he likes to be on the pitch.
#2 Familiar territories for Suarez and Coutinho
Both Suarez and Coutinho are world-class players, the best you could find in their positions, but Manchester United fans would tell you otherwise. Being former Liverpool players, it will be surprising if the United fans don't jeer them both at Old Trafford. But they are used to it, aren't they?
Well, Philippe Coutinho has got only one goal against Manchester United in seven games against them. He has lost only two. Luis Suarez, on the other hand, has got two goals and two assists against United in seven games but he has lost four games against them. Manchester United would not feel as threatened by the stats but they better be.
Luis Suarez is in red-hot form and he has got 20 goals in LaLiga with a ripper of a shot last night against Oblak. Philippe Coutinho has been out of touch for almost all season. It is such a miracle that he performed well yesterday against Atleti when United is just around the corner. After all, he has got Liverpool in his blood.
Both players would love the PL way of the game that United will present as both of them were absolutely ruthless in the Premier League. Maybe a Philippe Coutinho curler is exactly what is needed to beat an in-form de Gea. But doesn't mean that El Pistolero doesn't have bullets.
#1 Lionel Messi: A nightmare for United, even in paradise
How does it feel when a guy takes away two Champions League titles away from you? To add to it, how does it feel to know that it came when your great players were in their peak? On top of it, how does it feel to know that it came when you were coached by the greatest manager in your history? Not good or worse?
After all that Lionel Messi has done to Manchester United, including scoring against them in Rome and Wembley, he is back to haunt them yet again. It is just too bad for United that neither form nor age can get the better of this man.
He was just 24 when he scored against Edwin Van der Sar in Wembley. He is now 31. He doesn't have Xavi or Iniesta with him. He has the captain's armband around his sleeves. Does any of this matter?
In the Golden Boot race, he is way ahead of Kylian Mbappe. In the Pichichi race, he is way ahead of Luis Suarez who is his own teammate. In the 2018/19 season, he has got 33 goals in LaLiga and eight in the UCL.
If Manchester United has to look for inspiration, where do they look? At their center backs Chris Smalling and Phil Jones? At David de Gea, who has suffered enough in LaLiga against this man? At Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who witnessed him flooring Gimenez and Godin while scoring past Jan Oblak?
