Champions League 2011: Guardiola knows United a daunting task

Salman Zahoor May 17, 2011 0

Champions League 2011: Guardiola knows United a daunting task

BARCELONA: FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola knows exactly how bigger threat Manchester United are as he compared the Red Devils with Real Mardrid ahead of his team’s UEFA Champions League 2011 final.

Pep Guardiola

The top two teams from Spain and England will face off at Wembley on May 28 for the biggest European title but Barca coach is wary of the excellence that Manchester United possess.

Both the teams have won their respective domestic titles recently and final in London is befittingly just the match that would decide the European champion soccer club.

The match, which has become a Spain vs England international, is a repeat of the UEFA Champions League 2009 final when Barca defeated the Red Devils by two goals to nil in Rome.

Pep Guardiola

As the venue suits Manchester United this time, Guardiola knows exactly how different this final would be from the one in 2009. He said, “Manchester United are extraordinarily strong, very similar to Real Madrid. They are a hard-working side and it’s very hard to hurt them.”

Sighting Manchester United’s ability to counterattack as dangerous, Guardiola admitted his concerns. He stated, “We have to be very careful because they can score against you on the break. We have to know how to interpret the final, depending on how they play, and play the game on our terms.”

Pep Guardiola

Guardiola experimented in the La Liga game against Deportivo La Coruna this weekend by making younger players to take the field and the 0-0 result was good enough to make him think positive of his backup.

He said, “The young players did well. I am happy with them and I chose to rest a lot of the others because the most important thing now is to prepare for the final”.