Pick United’s poison, a.k.a. “What’s the lineup and strategy?”

By: Kevin | May 25th, 2009

Okay. It’s time. It’s Tuesday (well not in Chicago, but in many parts of the world, including Barcelona. Speculation is rife, and Isaiah is going to get us all fired up like crazy folks with a rip-roaring preview that will make us all frothy-mouthed culeniacs.

But for now, let’s use our thinking caps and figure out formation, starting XI and tactics.

Here’s the squad list:

Valdes, Pinto, Puyol, Pique, Sylvinho, Botia, Muniesa, Caceres, The Yaya, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Keita, Henry, Eto’o, Iniesta, Messi, Gudjohnsen, Hleb, Krkic

Tactically, the expectation is that we won’t deviate much from the traditional Barca formation. It works almost all of the time, so why mess with success, right? Right?

And hey, guess what? With me writing this mini-post, I get to be first (yay!). Here’s how I’d like to see things go:

————————————–Valdes————————————————
Puyol——————Pique——————————Caceres—————Sylvinho
————————————The Yaya——————————————-
———————-Xavi———————————–Iniesta——————–
Messi——————————–Henry————————————Krkic

(or if Guardiola insists on starting Eto’o)

Eto’o—————————–Messi————————————–Henry

Why? Because Henry is going to be injured, and he isn’t going to have his usual acceleration and burst, plus I think that seeing him at central striker will put the fear of the Blaugrana God into United. I like Krkic on the wing to start (with a quick yank for Eto’o if he gags it up), because he doesn’t disappear the way that Eto’o does and with his much better touch, he won’t lose the ball, leading to counterattacks.

And yes, I say put Caceres in the back line, mostly because The Yaya is too valuable in midfield. Sylvinho gets left back because he knows how to play the ball and stay at home, which will be all that is needed, as long as we don’t concede set pieces.

This is a fairly traditional setup except for the inclusion of Krkic. Yes, I’m aware of the potential mental complexities in telling Eto’o that he can’t start the biggest match of the year, Clasicos notwithstanding. He’s a big boy and a professional, so he should suck it up.

The option 2 front line makes Messi more difficult to defend by giving him a larger area. Eto’o is going to have to man up and kick some butt on the right wing.

Goal.com had a no-brainer “5 ways that we can win” piece. Short version:

Take advantage of Alves and Abidal’s absences by making the backs stay at home.
Messi has to tear it up, yo.
Beware of counterattacks and Thong Boy.
Finish the chances we get.
Get in that ass on the right side of their defense (hear that, Henry and Iniesta?).

Oh, yeah….and the sun rises in the east. I say attack, attack, attack, capitalizing on the freedom created by a stay-at-home back line.

And that’s what I think. What about y’all?