It Was Just That Barcelona Were Too Good?

That would appear to explain Man United's hammering last night. Some of it is true, a lot of it isn't.

The at least we got there and we are the second best team in Europe arguments fall into the First is everything, second is nowhere category.

I'm a Liverpool fan, but an objective one. I don't revel in the Dalglish euphoria and see how a big a job there is to repair the damage and I don't fall in to the Man U are just lucky brigade either.

Alex Ferguson has proved himself to be the best domestic club manager that this country has ever seen bar none. When compared to Liverpool, it must be remembered that his achievements have been for longer and the club's success has coincided with him always being at the helm, Liverpool had different managers.

People object to his blinkeredness, his side never get any dodgy decisions, he never makes any mistakes, any excuse gets rolled out apart from the team weren't up to it or that he got it wrong.

To be honest, he shares a lot of these failings with Dalglish, although the latter has a wicked sense of humour which veils this.

The current Man U side remind me a lot of Liverpool from 1988 onwards, the wins kept coming but via flukes and luck and a couple of years later they ran out of luck. Great players got old and were replaced by far inferior versions, big money buys were misguided and they won the title because they weren't as bad as everyone else.

Dalglish and Ferguson share another trait in that they develop unknowns and youth players superbly, but their buying is questionable. Liverpool stopped developing kids and then had to throw them in too early. Man U have stopped developing kids.

People are saying last night's performance wasn't a typical Man U performance, but to be honest for 85 minutes it was, it just lacked the last five minutes and injury time's inspiration / luck.

Manchester United are deserved Premier Champions because the rest were worse than them, not because they were exceptional. Was there more than three or four exhilariting performances in the Premiership this year? They won the title with the lowest amount of points for a long time and their away record was mid table.

Again as Liverpool found, when you rely on your home record, you start dropping points at home and you are done for. Man U will have to go out and buy players now and as I've said Ferguson doesn't naturally buy well. The team this year has been built around three aging players.

So Ferguson is the undisputed English League king, however his burning desire is to be known as the European king and it's a long way away. His two Champions League successes were against teams who play in the English Style. One a very fortunate win against a side that hammered them on the night and one against a Premier club.

The great European teams share one thing, they were all pass and move. They play it from the back and are patient, no counter attacking team becomes a great European team.

Man U had a mini dress rehearsal at Anfield this season, when a Liverpool side played in a basic Barcelona (and their old) style. Liverpool moved the ball so quickly that Manu were all over the place and the central defenders (who are generally great man markers) had no one to mark. You get Vidic turning and he is in trouble, so he sits back which allows players to attack him.

I'm not comparing Liverpool with Barcelona, it's that style of play.

Man U's midfield is probably the worst of the top six, it's pedestrian and again every great European side was built on an outstanding midfield not one containing a 36 and 37 year old. I don't believe that Scholes and Giggs would have played as much if their replacements were deemed better by Fergusson.

The nearest the Premier has as a team who can play this way is Arsenal, their midfield certainly is, but they lack quality up front and Defenders who are comfortable on the ball.

Man U may win next year's premier. Man City will buy big, put Mancini's set up not to lose style and players getting used to each other will hold them back. Chelsea have to lose their managerial merry go round and Champions League obsession to succeed as well as their owner's interference.

Tottenham have tactical naivety and no depth, Liverpool have given Dalglish three years in the knowledge that it's going to take at least that to get them in shape for a challenge, they don't beat poor sides, the three relegated sides all beat them, yet their record against the Top 4 is exceptional.

The competition will get better, it will be interesting to see the response.

So, all credit to Barcelona who are a great side, but Man U need to look at themselves hard now and not use the excuse that they would have beaten anyone else.

Ferguson is a great believer in enjoy the moment and move on. He'll know his targets but the likelihood of people like Wesley Schneider making a difference is small.

If he wants to become a European great, he has to change the team's style of play and buy accordingly. Hernandez is a player who can play that style, Rooney is too, Giggs can, but the rest of the team unfortunately cannot. His reliance on workhorses for the big matches will work in England, it won't in Europe.