The final of 2009 Barcelona-Manchester will be re-edited? (Yahoo)

The drawing lot of the quarters of the Champions League, of last Friday generated few surprises and in change, many elements for the analysis regarding what will be the decisive part of the maximum club continental contest, with the growing chance of the best European clubs, the Barcelona and the Manchester United, once again confronting the final of May 22 in the Stadium of Santiago Bernabeu, in Madrid.

Without doubt, in this last time the Barcelona and the Manchester United have been some steps above the rest of the European teams of the major budget and stars, though it appears in the route of both (specially of the Barcelona because they may arrive to the final), the strange Inter of José Mourinho, who surprised eliminating with authority (though with the typical conservative game of the Portuguese coach) the Chelsea, another of the candidates, winning the two matches but with special value the second in Stamford Bridge.

For the quarters, in the beginning, Barcelona appears the clear favorite vs the Arsenal, though their excellent French coach Arséne Wenger, who forms teams from nothing in every season and arrives to generate a beautiful football from a collective structure, surely will find the manner to complicate the Catalonians because the game of the English is in clear progress and with a shine of some players such as the Russian Arshavin and the paradoxically Catalonian and leader of the team, Cesc Fábregas (about whom they say justly that he will return to the Barcelona for the next season).

If the Barcelona arrives to the semi-final, there is an open possibility to confront with the Inter, what would add the element for the match to have all the condiments. Two completely opposite styles, one of attack, to maintain the ball, the other counter-attack, of waiting and strong mark, with the addition of the change of forwarders that was produced early in the season when Samuel Eto’o passed to the Italian team and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to the Catalonian.

They have already confronted in the phase of groups with the favorable result for the Barcelona (0-0 in Italy and 2-0 in Spain), specially in the phase of the game itself, but it should not be forgotten that first, the Inter should pass the not so easy obstacle of the quarters of the CSKA in Moscow, which comes silently but made noise when eliminating the Sevilla in their own stadium Sánchez Pizjuán in Andalucía, though thanks, in good part, to the unexpected error of the great goalkeeper Palop in a free shot.

On the other side, everything indicates that the Manchester United has the majority of the tickets of the analysts to arrive to the great final in Madrid. Perhaps the hardest for their route will be the quarters vs the classical rival as the Bayern Munich, but the semi-final vs the French that may impose from the duel between Olympique of Lyon and Girondins of Bourdeaux, but in principle, the English are superior to the three rivals and with plethoric Wayne Rooney, perhaps the best forwarder of the world in this moment, and few recall the start of the Real Madrid of Cristiano Ronaldo, very well substituted by the Equatorial Antonio Valencia.

The duel between the Manchester United and the Bayern Munich has also other additional items, the Scotch Alex Fergusson and the Dutch Louis Van Gaal, and also, the fact that the German strongest positions (those of the external attack, as Ribéry by the right and Robben by the left) coincide with the weakness of the English (the two lateral markers), and this could generate some inconvenience on the way of the “Red Devils” to the final.

The other great matter in “The way of Santiago“ as ironically the newspaper “El Periódico de Barcelona” called the via to arrive to the final in the stadium of Santiago Bernabeu, referring to the famous via touristic-religious to see every time nearer the chance that the Barcelona may be present on the 22 of May in Madrid

In the Real Madrid have already started the preparations in an environment contrary to that of the Catalonian and maybe the rumor of the registration of Rooney for the next season may be involved in it as to reinforce even more the sure backing that the English will have vs Barcelona in the case of a final, which scenery would be no means a neutral one.

The panic of Madrid that the Barcelona win their fourth Cup of Europe in the Santiago Bernabeu is logical. Even if the Real Madrid wins the league (in April they play vs Barcelona a decisive match for it) this could be covered or darkened if few days after the Catalonians obtain the precious European trophy.

And still remains the fact that in Madrid, the Barcelona and the Manchester United re-edit that great final of Roma a year before, when the Catalonians imposed by 2-0 and confronted Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Now it would be confronting Messi-Rooney, in a duel of great force, and big stars in both teams.

Regarding Messi, his exhibition vs the Stuttgart does not need any comment on the merit of the Barcelona to pass to the quarters. There was no match, and the Argentine continues showing, why he is, at present, far the best player of the world.