Barca v Man U, a.k.a. “The Big One” 1:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2

Oh, and Rose missed the crucial one, to put Memphis up by four, if I recall correctly. Of course, if it was Douglas-Roberts, I stand corrected and will kick myself.

But Deco filled his role of keeping the ball moving forward and completing pass after delightful one-touch pass. Iniesta, Messi and Eto'o are supposed to be putting the ball in the net. He fought for balls and kept possession many a time, feeding it to Messi or someone to do something more. That they didn't isn't Deco's fault.

Disagree that Deco was great. Overstatement, I think. Great is scoring or creating a goal. He was good. Solid, but not special. Not his fault, of course, and he did well considering, but great? No way.

Yeah, Samu was doodoo, but Henry couldn't get the start cause he was recovering from a fever.

I wasn't going to bring that up Isaiah, but now that you mention it, "sucked" is being generous. If Henry gets that start, it does not end 0-0. By the time he came on, Man U were playing for the draw.

Right you are, Joe. And Deco played GREAT. But Yaya was MOTM for my dosh.

Joe, I'm glad that you like the blog this much. I'll be throwing up a detailed review either later tonight or early tomorrow.

Right now, though, I'd like to say that Samu, my man in the mdiddle, the guy I have supported when others called for Henry to start, suuucked tonight. Good lord.

Btb, anyone else feel Henry deserved an earlier start... or at least starting from the get-go a OT? He was on for 15 min and gave Van der Saar two huge scares :D

You know a blog is good when one of the first things you want to do after the game is read its review... hehe.

Same here, Joe. I really think we can pull it off. We absolutely dominated this game, so why can't we do it again?

I feel good about the next leg.. let's hope we can SCORE in Old Trafford. Plus Puyol will be with us :D

VAMOS BARCE! No All England Final. MESSI MAKE US PROUD!

oh. I see ballbeav posted the official XI and all is settled. I actually think that's a pretty clever midfield. Here's hoping...

Kxevin: just finished reading your post after posting some comments on the offside homepage - and we're of a like mind. Barce need to attack, Yaya and midfield need to control.

The great line-up debate you guys have going here is fascinating - there are some real headscratchers. But I have to agree with Isaiah on this one. Xavi, right now, is the man with the experience that counts, not Deco. Xavi's played the CL before, knows what to expect, and has playing experience this season that Deco's missed. And, so many times this year, Xavi's bailed his side out when it mattered most. As for Henry - while he may know how to play Man U, Man U also know how to play him. Not so with Krkic. (Read: secret weapon)

Finally, if Eto'o's getting manhandled and is proving ineffective, what better sub could you wish for than Henry? (Well, maybe Raul, but...) Subbing in Thiery into the middle late in the match might really strike fear in the hearts of the Red Devils.

Anyways, Evo and Ian Rose summed up my feelings about this match. Good luck to your boys out there!

By the way, the game is on ESPN Classic at 5 EST, for those of you with that channel, no DVR, and work until just before that.

Well, at least I got most of it right. I'm a genius!!!

Interesting that we're going to start with a 4-4-2, essentially...or even a 4-1-4-1 if you think about it...hmmm

I AM SO EXCITED and now I have to sign off the internets and not look at another thing until I get home and start the game from the top.

Krkic might be better coming off the bench, depending on how much time he's given. He'll come into a game with some tired midfield legs out there and be able to take full advantage of his youth and athleticism. Almost here now. Good luck to Barcelona.

the game nears, and the starting 11 has been announced on the FCB website. more grist for the mill.

goalie Valdes
back line Zamby, Marquez, Milito, Abidal
defensive mid YAYA
mids Xavi Deco Iniesta
forwards Eto and Messi

no thuram or henry or bojan, but nice to have them on the bench! i like the 4-4-2 for this match, though its not even a pure 4-4-2 i suppose. will be interesting to see what iniesta does.

I won't argue that I prefer the experience to the youth when all things are equal, but right now they're not equal. If Henry could play well with Eto'o, then I'd go with Henry no questions asked, but it's not that way. We'll see who Rijkaard listens to, though. I'm guess neither and he starts a lineup with Guddie in it.

Also, on the basketball note, besides that being a cheap shot :) you're wrong. Derrick Rose missed ONE free throw. Chris Douglas-Roberts missed THREE. Douglas-Roberts was the junior, the man, the superduperstar, the go-to guy. Like Chalmers, only Chalmers came through. That's how it goes sometimes. "The shot into blue heaven" they're calling it in Jayhawk land.

Maybe Bojan can pull off something like that, but I suspect it'll be the third-year man for Barcelona: Messi.

But you're being logical. Psychology isn't all that logical. Remember Memphis/Kansas. Big players rise to big moments. Chalmers' game-tying, off-balance three? Junior. Derrick Rose's critical, clunky free throws with the game on the line? Freshman.

This is a big moment. Giant. And I don't want it in the hands of a kid or a potentially petulant striker. I think that both have the potential to change a game that is already under way with their pace and aggression, most definitely.

Deco is the wild card there, because he won't be fully match fit. You can't be, no matter how hard you practice. But in his role, he won't really have to be.

And keep in mind that we don't need Thuram to have a great game. We need for Thuram to do what he does: stay put and play great position defense. Marquez might be great, he might be shit. Risky. Thuram is always solid, because that's what he does.

If this were a league game, or even El Clasico, I'd say rock on. Start the kid, start Eto'o and Marquez, bring Deco off the bench. But this is big. Huge. I just don't think we can have players in there who might be overcome by the moment.

I'm sure that Rijkaard is having the same discussions in his mind, and with his assistants. We don't have long to find out the answers.

My stomach is in knots.

I'm a Real Madrid fan. I'm hoping that Barca put out a great performance tonight and show ManU what Spanish football is capable of. Good Luck.

You say tried-and-true, Kevin, but how are Henry, Deco, and Thuram more "true" than Marquez, Krkic, and Eto'o?

Is it goals scored? Is it goals conceded? In no statistical category does that lineup lead the other one and in goals scored Eto'o crushes Henry. Granted, Marquez has had few starts this year, so I expect Thuram to start, but I want Marquez to start. Thuram is solid, yes, but we're not in it for solid right now. This is do or die. Put up or shut up. Shit or get off the pot. And Thuram is solid, but not capable of a great game. Marquez has more variables, but can have a great game. You'll get a solid performance out of Thuram, but no upside, no potential for scoring the game-winner, for dropping that inch-perfect pass onto someone's foot. And Marquez does have those qualities, even if he has the capability of having a stinker too.

In a perfect world, this is a cakewalk, because Henry and Deco would smash shit up all over the place, but this is not a perfect world. Henry is not Henry these days and Deco has not played in a very long time (when was the last time he played? I can't even remember right now)

So I think we should start our best lineup based on performance and continuity. I understand the argument saying that Bojan should start on the bench because of the physical nature of ManU, but who would replace him? Eto'o has to start with a goalscoring record like he has since returning from injury(something like 14 goals in 15 games?) and as far as I've seen, no one disputes the claim that he and Henry don't play well together. Let him do his thing and then put Henry on in the second half to go all out.

Remember, we have Messi on the right, so that solves our right-side problems. Messi and Eto'o play well together and the former creates a ton of space for the latter in the box. Pushing Xavi and Iniesta up (especially Iniesta) will just add to the attack. Bojan on the left is another on-the-ball wonder, so let him run at opponents from the left, especially since he'll be able to lay the ball of for Iniesta at the top of the box or Eto'o in the middle.

Henry would require a 4-4-2 and that's not happening, so why bother forcing something that just isn't there at the moment?

I'm still digging Thuram in there because he's a great position defender who knows his limitations. No roaming and getting caught out of position, which will be critical to keep Man U in check at the back line. Our back line will have to stay put and not screw around.

Krkic is doing very well, and will be a great player. But this isn't the place for him to start. There's too much on the line. The moment is too big. I'd start him at Old Trafford, actually. But there's so much pressure at home.

It's good to have Krkic come in once the match is under way as an energizing factor, but the physicality of Man U's defense, fresh as they will be in the first half, would remove any possibility of him being truly effective. Size does matter sometimes. In the second half, when legs are a little heavier, he can be more effective.

This is also true of Eto'o. Try those parlor tricks that he tries in La Liga and Rio Ferdinand will knock him on his ass. He'll then get petulant, and try them ever more, and in effect remove himself from the match. We can't have that stuff today.

No, a match and moment such as this one is a time for the tried-and-true, the lads who have been there before, know what it's like and won't get the willies. Thuram. Henry. Deco.

My subs are Marquez for Thuram, Eto'o for Henry and Krkic for Iniesta. Deco better not get tired.

The reason I would start Deco is because I think that he's always been better in the starting lineup rather than coming off the bench, and we need him to be good. Were I Rijkaard, I wouldn't really care who has been there, or injured, or whatever. I'd want the lineup that gives us the best chance of victory. I'd take Zambrotta over Sylvinho if somebody made it clear to Zambrotta that he has to stay the hell home and not get caught far upfield as he has been of late. He doesn't have the pace to deal with the Man U counters, which are as fast as anyone's in the world right now.

Make no mistake, it is far more important to not concede than to put in a lot of goals. A 1-0 or 2-0 win would put me over the moon. Away goals kill you in home/away ties.

Is it time yet?

Isaiah, I like your lineup, but I think that Iniesta is so much more effective in an attacking role. And I also think that Henry will be somewhat of a secret weapon against ManU- he knows how to beat them.

I do agree with 2-1 to us, though.

I'm hoping Barca come out and attack, full-on at Man United, purely because United do tend to play it safe away from home. They'll probably line up 4-5-1 so if Barca do want to stick the knife in tonight, I think there is a real chance for them to.

I don't like the suggested starting lineup. I'm thinking more like:

Valdes, Zambrotta, Marquez, Milito, Abidal, Toure, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto'o, Krkic

The reason for this is that let the kids play together as they do so well, let Iniesta build with Bojan and Eto'o while Messi slaughters their wingbacks and combines with Xavi and Zambrotta. Don't forget that Zambys plays about 800 times better with Messi to give him space down the right for those crosses by distracting the defenders.

Deco shouldn't get the start simply because he hasn't played. The likelihood of a bum game is much higher because you haven't played for a while, but maybe we'll see him come off the bench.

I don't think either team will crush the other, so it's going to be tough. I'm still saying 2-1 us, though, because of Messi.

Go Barca. Hoping for a 2-0 win. It's the Nou Camp. Barca will rise.

Plus, the question of putting Man United to it's place.

I have a feeling Deco is not going to live up to our expectations. No action for a while will affect his passing. Thuram and Abidal have to be very very careful near the box. 1-0 Barca goal by who else but Messi.

Thuram is our weakest link: he can run for 60 minutes, no more. And even then, he's nowhere near fast enough for the Man U frontmen. This means we'll have to cut them off in the midfield. Time for Yaya to show his quality.

Kxevin, I completely agree with you about Henry. He is a player for the premier league, and he will scare the shit out of Man U. I'm predicting one of his trademark 95 minute winners (if he actually starts and stays on that long).

I do have high hopes of Deco, Steven, but you're right, the pressure won't help. He's just back from a while out, so lets gon easy on him.

Abidal will have to really step it up if we want any chance of stopping the four time male model of the year, Cristiano Ronaldo. We won't be able to deal with him`if Abidal plays just an average game, especially with King Carles leaving a massive hole in defense.

I can't wait to see Yaya (aka God) making Rooney break down into a four-year-old-esque tantrum after all of his attempts of breaking through fail.

It's good to hear that we have the neutrals on our side too. I hate Man U, in fact the only teams I hate more are RM, River Plate and Melbourne Victory (from the ever-exciting a-league- it's poor quality, but at least it's always close).

Good luck to Barca. All the neutrals are on your side (for once), since you're the only team standing in the way of an all-English final, which I DO NOT WANT. Here's to Messi adding to his legend today.

Puyol has been dynamite the last few weeks, and I can see quite a few problems coming up without him holding it down in the back, but I think the back four will be plenty fired up for the match.
I hope Deco is right back on, but I have a feeling we're expecting a bit too much from him.
Henry is going to scare the shit out of Sir Alex, and I'm dying to see the look on his face when he makes his very first run.