A Tale of Two Cities: The contrasting fortunes at Manchester and Barcelona
United vs. Barca is not what it used to be, but one club is on its way up while the other continues to self-sabotage.
How the mighty have fallen.
12 years ago, the two clubs that faced off in the Europa league playoff last night, were in the Champions League final for the second time in three years. Barcelona mauled United that night and established themselves as the greatest club side in football history.
Last night told a different story.
United dominated Barcelona across both fixtures, thriving in the chaos and frantic nature of both legs, proving how they have developed into a team under Erik Ten Hag. Barcelona, who have shown glimpses of their quality since Xavi has taken over are stalling in their progression, hampered by a distinct lack of personality and edge, stemming from the manager’s inexperience coaching at the top level.
But first some history: both Barcelona and United have found success hard to come by since their heyday. Sir Alex Ferguson’s influence on the club and on football cannot be talked about enough, and the same can be said about Pep Guardiola after he took over as coach at Barcelona.
If the two teams were playing at their peak under those two managers, it would mean that when they both left their respective clubs, there would naturally be a fall, and a long, unpredictable journey back to the top.
And on paper, over the last 15 years, that is exactly how things have panned out.
For Barcelona, the lack of European success and mediocre performances is newer than it is to United. Sir Alex left in 2013, Guardiola in 2012. United have struggled since, while Barcelona achieved great things under Luis Enrique, driven by Lionel Messi.
United have had to take a long, unnecessarily complicated journey trying to find a figure like Ferguson who can bring back the X factor, and it seems that in Ten Hag, they have done so. United were ruthless and intimidating under Ferguson. There was a sense of doom that visiting teams had when they came to Old Trafford, and a feeling of hatred and disdain that away fans felt towards the club, because they knew that no matter what, their team would be helpless against a hurricane of United attack and energy. A United win was inevitable.
Last night had those elements of that again.
Despite what the story told in the first half, there was never a moment in the match last night where Barcelona looked like they would win it. The score and performance in the may have given the illusion that Barcelona were in control, but really it was United and Ten Hag who had got things wrong. United looked flat and stale in attack, and Barcelona should’ve sensed this weakness and pounced. Barcelona and Xavi got complacent in their lack of adventure. Robert Lewandowski was invisible (yet again) in a big match, and nobody in that Barcelona team looked like they wanted to take responsibility. Ten Hag meanwhile changed things up, and United managed to grab the match by the throat taking it away from Barca in an instant. There was something very Ferguson about the way they did that.
It showed in a nutshell how proactivity can be far more effective than reactivity, and just how important a manager’s leadership and bravery in decision-making is in the modern game.
Ten Hag recognised that his decision to start Wout Weghorst wasn’t the correct one and changed things up to sharpen his teams attack. United threatened instantly, and Barcelona looked lost and weary at the constant pressure they were being put under. It was as if the team had only been given instructions to play the one way — slow and boring — and inevitably, when things began to go against them, they had no idea what to do. Gone are the days when players such as Roy Keane or Carles Puyol take charge on the pitch and deliver. Teams are heavily dependent on their managers these days, and last night it seemed like Xavi abandoned his.
He talks a big game, about how he wants his team to show bravery, and play adventurous football, but when it mattered the most he abandoned this philosophy for a more pragmatic, inflexible approach.
Yes, Barcelona were hampered by the injuries to Ousmanne Dembele and Pedri, and suspension to Gavi. Take away Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro from United and they are a completely different team.
But when the momentum of the match shifted in the second half, and United were on top, a better, more experienced manager would’ve seen that his team needed a change – whether tactical, or in personnel – to throw a spanner into the United machine.
Xavi didn’t do that.
It wasn’t until his team went behind did he decide to change things, but by then the momentum was too heavily in United’s favour, and the match was already lost.
This shows a lack of personality and experience on Xavi’s part. Players must perform on the pitch, yes, but belief, leadership and a coherent structure must be delivered by the manager to the team. If there is an imbalance, everything falls apart. Xavi’s decisions (or lack thereof) last night created that imbalance, and ultimately contributed to Barcelona’s defeat.
The club and its fanbase might have thought that the re-election of Joan Laporta as President and appointment of Xavi as manager meant renewed hope. And in many ways it has renewed hope. The team has reverted to its high pressing football, has scored lots of goals, and has begun playing football easy on the eye again. Fans are flooding back to the Camp Nou, and the future looks bright with young talent from La Masia making an impact on the team again.
But there is still a distinct lack of confidence in this team as a collective, and an incredibly strong reliance on individuals to pull them out of tight spots. The team has gone from Messi-dependencia to Pedri/Gavi-dependencia.
Xavi should look to Ten Hag and learn how to take talented individuals, and build them into a collective, sometimes relying on individual quality, but never depending on it. The Barcelona players must know their role and the team must be structured in a way that even if one individual cannot play another comes in and slots right in. The quality of the individual players no longer matters as much.
We are seeing this at United. When Christian Eriksen injured himself, there were questions directed as to whether this team can continue its upward trajectory. Marcel Sabitzer was brought in, but it is Fred who is proving just how much trust and direction from a manager can impact a player’s confidence and performance.
He was immense last night, scoring a goal, and also neutering Frenkie De Jong.
De Jong meanwhile seems to have (sadly) plateaued in his development. Xavi – bafflingly -- doesn’t play him in his preferred position (as a number eight), and continues to mismanage him by giving him confusing instructions and expecting him to play multiple roles in midfield. De Jong is a leader and can be great player (as he showed under Ten Hag), but he is still young and can benefit from some coaching. He so often looks lost and frustrated, isolated in midfield, with no idea as to what he is supposed to be doing.
And there are further examples of such cases.
At United, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho are two young superstars with immense potential. Barcelona have a couple themselves in Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. Yet, United wingers already look far better than their Barcelona counterparts, again due to the influence of Ten Hag who has provided them with direction, authority and a role he expects them players to play. All for the collective good of the team.
Xavi instead doesn’t seem to know how to handle the talent he has at his disposal. An elite level coach would be frothing at the mouth at the prospect of coaching the players in Barcelona’s squad.
Yes, Fati has had to deal with a serious injury, and Xavi has said he is being careful with how he uses him. At United Sancho is that figure. He too has dealt with a serious physical injury as well as mental health issues. But Ten Hag has shown in his management of Sancho exactly how to reintegrate a player into the team after an extended period out. Sancho started last night and has been in phenomenal form since the turn of the year. He has been shielded by Ten Hag, kept away from the spotlight, and allowed to focus on recovery, but has been trusted to do a job when brought back on to the pitch.
Meanwhile when Xavi could have given Fati the opportunity to perform (and boosted the winger’s confidence) by starting him, he chose a conservative approach to the match, bringing on Fati when the match was already lost. And Torres, who (finally) seems to have found some form could've been the difference maker had he started or been brought on earlier, was also left on the bench.
Both players must be wondering if a future at the club if worthwhile if it means sitting on the bench in the biggest matches.
Barcelona have much better under Xavi than they have been the last few years yes, but they must improve fast if they want to be competitive against the best again.
Sacking Xavi is obviously not the answer. His team is eight points clear on top of La Liga, and will likely go on to win the title, which should be viewed as a success. It has been four years since they won it and could be an important morale booster. But their road to continental success will be a long one. The hope for Barca fans would be that Xavi is the right man to lead them through to this next era, but on last night’s showing, things look bleak.
United on the other hand are third and are very much a part of the title race in England. Yet, even if they finish third (or second), and don't win the Europa League, this season will undoubtedly be considered a success given the enormous strides they are making under Ten Hag.
Two great clubs with great success in the modern era battling out in the second tier of European competition is a story on its own, yet last night’s result showed that there is more hope for one and more despair for the other.