United taught unexpected lessons

Um, where did United go last night? It seems odd that they could come away from this season disappointed, but I reckon the nature of this loss will count for more than the simple fact of it. In his post-match interview, Alex Ferguson seemed not only dissatisfied by the defeat, but troubled by what it had revealed. His players looked beyond disappointment – there was confusion and silence, but no tears - while fans interviewed by the BBC seemed more resigned than distraught. It wasn’t enough of a contest to really lament the outcome.

Amid all the speculation in the build-up, everyone agreed this match would be tight. Fergie predicted “outrageous good fortune” might decide it, but fortune never got a look in. Barcelona didn't just beat United, they silenced them. This was billed as a confrontation of footballing philosophies, but after 10 minutes of typically high-tempo aggression, United’s football lost its rationale. It was aimless, uncertain and very weird. We all thought Barca would deliver a spectacle, but we weren't expecting home truths.

But in reality, United's football this season has been uninspiring. Too many laboured 1-0 wins and snatched winners; too little fluidity. On its day, their defence is almost impenetrable, but its off days tend to be way off, and badly timed. Twice Nemanja Vidic, symbolic of most that was good about United this year, has been exposed by world-class strikers in huge games. For Fernando Torres at Old Trafford in March, read Samuel Eto’o in the Stadio Olympico last night. It seems harsh to suggest he lacks the class to deal with them, but Ferguson will be worried that he was again so easily undone. Which demonstrates the scale of the problem that last night revealed. It was the big names that went missing: Vidic, Rooney, Evra, Giggs, Carrick. How do you go about filling cracks that wide? They remain a very good side, but on this evidence lack the greatness Ferguson craves. He’ll learn and adapt, of course. Still, to come so far and yet be so outclassed poses a problem even he will be vexed by. He has predicted a long future of success for this crop of players, but his confidence in them to deliver on the biggest stages will be badly shaken by last night’s disappearing act.

And then there’s the annual Cristiano Ronaldo pantomime to worry about. Carlos Puyol had barely lifted the trophy before the Portuguese peacock began whispering his way back onto centre stage. He was one of United’s better players last night, but it’s a measure of his self-absorption that he chooses such moments to reignite rumours. If he wants to leave, that’s understandable. But it is possible to engineer such a move without dropping dark hints in the direct aftermath of crushing defeat for the club that made him. Someone needs to remind him it's not always about him. If he does go, he can expect the backlash to be severe – I would love to know what Ferguson and the dressing room really think of him, once the need to keep his precious talent onside has passed. That said, his bullet-proof ego will likely deafen him to criticism. This could be the year that Ferguson decides that offloading £70m-worth of narcissistic brilliance represents sound business. Ronaldo himself has given so many mixed messages in the past few days that it’s impossible to call, but it should make for interesting reading as the clock winds down to August.

Finally, to Barcelona. Can you imagine how much Arsene Wenger was purring, watching that? Granted, his prodigy Henry was overshadowed by Iniesta and Messi on the night, but Barca’s strength is collective. If you can’t admire it, you clearly don’t like football. Artistic and spirited, they play to principles that feel like advanced mathematics – exquisite but so hard to capture. At 38, the ludicrously blessed Guardiola might as well retire now. An outrageously handsome, tactically brilliant and fiercely patriotic Catalan delivers his home club its first treble in his debut season. It doesn’t come any better than that.