He said: "Do you know how Barcelona win the ball back so quickly? It's because they don't have to run back more than 10 metres as they never pass the ball more than 10 metres. To counteract this, Manchester United need to play at a high tempo, to beat the press and get at the Barca back four. In the first 10 minutes of the final they did this very well, playing at a high tempo and matching their opponents' work-rate.
They pressed so high, Barcelona were practically inside their own box, forcing them to abandon their game of neat passes in favour of longer balls. But Barcelona eventually found a way around the United press and once they do that, the doubts begin to creep into the opposition's minds.
Some United players pressed, some didn't and from that moment on, they were lost. The key is staying compact, no matter if the back four is on the edge of the box or the half-way line. Inter Milan did something similar by staying compact and pressuring as a team in last season's semi-final victory. For me, the key player United have to stop is Busquets.
I've looked at the passing statistics and Busquets has the ball more than any other Barcelona player, even more than Xavi and Iniesta. And the key man for United here will be Wayne Rooney, who could play as a "semi-midfield" player behind Javier Hernandez with the responsibility of "dropping in" on Busquets when he has the ball.
When Sir Alex has given Rooney that added responsibility but he isn't playing with the discipline Sir Alex wants, the manager moves him to the left and shifts Ryan Giggs into that number 10 position because the experienced winger has more discipline, control and intelligence to execute that role.
Rooney is quickly learning from that. I watched him closely in the Champions League quarter-final matches against Chelsea when he pressurised Michael Essien and stopped him playing as United dominated the midfield. That was the intelligence and discipline that Rooney needs to play in that number 10 position to stop Busquets from dictating play.
The other way United can beat Barcelona is on the transition [the break], something they do very well with the dual threat of Hernandez and Rooney. On both occasions, Guardiola saw a United team set up to contain the opposition and hope to win by counter-attack. Certainly United are masters of this strategy, but Barcelona are better passers, retainers and users of the ball.
However, when the two teams met in Washington, reinforced by youth, exuberance and Nani, United tore into Barca and, in the end, could have won comfortably. So, as well as showing no respect, United need to rethink their whole strategy and tactics , doing something original and unexpected to win if they meet in this season's showdown. Michael Owen knows how to beat Barcelona. He also scored in United's win in Washington in July. Now, while it is questionable whether Owen could play 90 minutes, he and Chicharito have the pace and scoring instinct to beat any defence.
People keep saying the Barcelona defence is beatable, but when you set out to contain them, you may not have many scoring opportunities. Containment has been tried twice and failed , because on its own it doesn't work against a team that can pass you to death. Not only did United concede possession, but they couldn't win it back.
The initiative was handed to Barcelona from the off. United attacked their opponents at every opportunity, unsettling them with a blend of youthful exuberance and experience. Chicharito wasn't even playing; nor were Carrick, Scholes, Park or Valencia. But Nani was. Of course, United will need players who can break down Barcelona's attacks, but in my opinion, they also need a completely different tactical approach and format.
In the Premiership, and diamonds have been in vogue. United usually play either at home of away. In the final, they used the latter, with Cristiano Ronaldo as a lone striker, and were destroyed by a fluid Barcelona. Whether it's the original influence of Johan Cruyff or manager Pep Guardiola, Barca play something approaching "total football," as the successful Dutch and Brazilian teams did in the past. They have no formal striker and, on paper, an inferior defence, overwhelming the opposition with up to eight players attacking at one time.
So why play a traditional formation? Barcelona have no tall strikers and don't hit their set-pieces into the yard box. So why play four traditional defenders?
The secret surely has to be to play and attack like Nani? Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are arguably the best pair of centre-backs that Manchester United have ever had. They always play in a back four, because that's the way Manchester United and the Premier League do things. Their heading prowess is their greatest strength, and they concede very few headed goals.
But that's not the way Barcelona play. As Bill Shankly once said, football is a game meant to be played on the ground. Xavi, Iniesta and Messi understand that; so does David Villa—and he's the nearest thing they have to a "striker. So in Rome and at Wembley, Ferdinand and Vidic had no headed set-pieces to deal with and were confronted with attacks on the ground. If the "containing two" didn't do their job, United were in trouble. United's attacking players became sucked into the middle of the park; they were too narrow, and Antonio Valencia was anonymous.
The great thing about Ferdinand is that he is a footballing defender; so are Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. Even Jonny Evans is often seen marauding. So, if Barcelona aren't going to attack in the air and are going to seek to dominate midfield, United should play just three at the back. Assuming Ferdinand is fit, Vidic would be the pivot of defence, flanked by Ferdinand and Evra, with Smalling and Evans in reserve.
In their two losing finals to Barcelona, United played a containing formation in midfield. It didn't work. Instead, it invited Barca to attack. The area in front of the penalty area became overcrowded, and there was only going to be one winner. But with a fluid, attacking format becoming , United can afford two ball-winning players in front of defence, especially if they are also mobile.
While Phil Jones has been bought as a future replacement for Vidic or Ferdinand, Ferguson also has an eye on his potential as a defensive midfielder. In a different era, he could have played the Franz Beckenbauer or Lothar Matthaus role of sweeper. Jones is very strong in the tackle and in the air, and has great pace and strength and the skill to break forward.
Darren Fletcher showed he is pretty much back to full match fitness with an excellent driving display for Scotland. He also is able to contain and to break forward. So, the heart of a midfield five would be Fletcher and Jones.
United may not be able to keep the ball as well as Barcelona, but they can certainly do better at winning it back.
Lionel Messi is the best footballer in the world. He is given a licence to roam for Barcelona. When you don't play a conventional format and have a player of his skill, it is hard to defend against. He can pop up anywhere and score goals for fun. Wayne Rooney can be even more important for Manchester United. He can do anything Messi can, but he can also do things Messi can't.
He is now a consummate header of the ball, brushing even John Terry aside to score for England last week. He can tackle. He often seems to be all over the pitch. He can win the ball deep in midfield and break from the back. He can launch a pinpoint yard pass. When running with the ball, he can inspire the whole team.
He is pivotal to United's fortunes in the next 10 years. And he is in the form of his life, having already scored seven times in his last four senior matches. He above all can fill the gap that Paul Scholes left, playing behind the strikers and orchestrating the play as Scholes did at his best. United are at their best breaking fast from midfield.
Rooney can take the ball that Jones or Fletcher have won and burst through the middle, giving the wingers time to get wide and the strikers time to get in position. As the pivot of the team, he can turn into
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