Terrace Talk

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PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

There are thousands of factors that decide a Champion and while it is still the middle of April and there are plenty of games still to play, Sir Alex Ferguson will be counting on experience above all else, to reach United’s goals. Whether this week brings tears or accolades, will be strictly decided by experience over step-overs, and intelligence over brute force.

Barstool pundits from Lisbon to Moscow have focused on the sparkle of United’s talents in their predictive hypothesizing that Manchester United will be triumphant domestically as well as in Europe. Few have decided to take stock, and question how well United have played relative to the 2007 campaign and by it’s very virtue, how much more impressive United’s 1999 season was.

Personally, I have to say I’ve been disappointed at times in our performances this season. In this 50th year since the Munich disaster and 40th year since our first European Championship, I had whimsical dreams of more of the same from last season. Massive counter-attacking movements, and constant bombardment that culminated in anyone of our starting eleven finding the back of the net. However, while we’ve become more frugal in defense, our frugality has extended to our frontlines as well, with Rooney missing a noticeably larger percentage of chances. The real difference is in the midfield, which has scantly seen their shots end up a post-match highlight. It is easy to point to Ronaldo’s profligacy in front of goal as the reason, but in fact Ronaldo has taken fewer shots at the same point last year, and has been far more efficient. United have had only five player’s score more than two goals this season, as opposed to 11 in the 2007 Premiership. The names are a who’s who of British football, with Giggs, Scholes and Park all having a significantly diminished impact relative to previous seasons and it explains my subjective feeling that United, for long stretches have not been as smooth as they have been in the past.

PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

The comparisons have been made, but to truly say that the current pack of Fergie’s fledglings are the best he has had, they will need performances from their most experienced players. They are the ones that have failed to impress this season, with Giggs being a particular disappointment. It is hard to look at the statistics and not argue for Nani and Anderson’s inclusions on Wednesday to bring a youthfulness and a creative dynamism that was lacking for the first 70 minutes against Blackburn. The difference however is experience and it is the ingredient that is beyond statistics and subjective impressions. Experience is what we lacked in 2005, when two wide-eyed and not exactly acne-free teenagers lined up against a vastly experienced AC Milan. The spanking that ensued had been painful and in 2006 it wasn’t experience that was lacking, but grit and a healthy defense.

In every sport, whether it’s chess or football, defense is the key to winning and while we have scored 9 less goals in this Premiership season, our defense is also far more resilient, boasting what to many is the strongest defense in football. I can’t disagree and of particular importance will be the efforts of Patrice Evra, who has been incredible this season and especially good in the last few weeks. It will be their efforts that need to shine to ensure that there is no remake of the second leg 1994 Champions League group stages when United lost 4-0 at the Nou Camp. Pauls Scholes and Ryan Giggs both took part in that encounter and Giggs in particular will espouse to the effect that game had on him.

“It was an experience, we were understrength and they had great players like Koeman, Romario, Stoichkov. You learn more from defeats than the wins and there were a lot of young players in our team that night. Barcelona away, you get beaten 4-0, you’ve got to grow up quick. And you realised if you don’t perform against these big teams on the big stage you’ll get a doing.”

As a Bulgarian, I guess I should be slightly pleased that Hristo Stoichkov shined for the Catalans, but I can’t help feel the bitter taste of defeat as United were taught the first lesson, in a string that continued with Dortmund in 1998.

Like his team, Sir Alex Ferguson has been driven by those losses, and the subsequent failures to consistently reach the apex of European football have been a constant frustration. From these setbacks, it was clear that skill and strength had to be balanced with experience. Sir Alex boasts a team that has numerous leaders in it, from 1995 Champions League winner Edwin van der Sar, Patrice Evra who captained runner-up AS Monaco, Owen Hargreaves who won the 2001 Champions League with Bayern Munich, Rio Ferdinand who reached this same stage with Leeds in 2001, and of course the slew of legendary United players that started as Fergie’s Fledglings. His team has grown in quality since 1994 with United enjoying one of the most diverse teams in memory.

Ferguson recently commented “I see them all sitting at the table and I’ve got Spanish, Argen-tinians, Brazilians, Portuguese, French, Serbians and they’re all communicating and laughing with each other, and you say to yourself, ‘Why don’t they understand me?’ They’re going,’Carlos, Carlos, what does the boss say’?”

For Ferguson this is only another step in his lifetime’s greatest achievement. Two further Premierships and the possibility to add to their European tally will keep the Scot from retirement well into his 70s and there are plenty of examples of managers who are still at their prime past a pensioner’s age. Sir Bobby Robson did not leave management until he was almost 71 and as personal friend to Sir Alex has on numerous occasions recommended that he continue on his path with Manchester United. To understand United, you have to understand just how Sir Alex has cemented his name in United lore as our greatest manager. His body will be idolized by the masses in bronze next to Sir Matt Busby in years to come. These are facts that are known and have passed him in indifference and apathy, because they are nothing relative to the satisfaction of the next victory and the next achievement. For Sir Alex the thrill of the victory is an insatiable hunger that will see him drag the club past the relative unimpressive height of bettering Liverpool’s records. The goal is to create a team that will become better than any he has developed until now.

PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

If there ever was a moment for this team to graduate beyond the heights of the English media and step out of the shadows of 1999, now is certainly the time. The stage cannot have be more perfectly set, with Carlos Puyol absent from the defensive line in the away leg, with a potent United frontline that is not only capable of dominating possession and displaying footballing brilliance, but also has the heart that only truly shows itself in the dieing minutes of a proper Manchester United match. Yes, this team is ready. Irregardless of age or youth, form or fatigue, Manchester United will go into this match confident that that they have the ability, leadership and strength to move past Barcelona.