1. Wayne Rooney is not lost in Cristiano Ronaldo's shadow
In the 2009 final he was cast as the Cristiano Ronaldo support act, Charles Laughton's Captain Bligh to Clarke Gable's Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty as somebody put it at the time. At the pre-match press conference in Stadio Olimpico, it was Ronaldo they wheeled out to declare United could win it and Rooney was as much in the shadows the following night, stuck out on the left wing – a bit-part player who was never unshackled.
But his burgeoning partnership with Javier Hernandez is a far more symbiotic one, with Rooney restored to the classic No 10 role where, as he observed at Schalke, football life began for him, while Hernandez operates just ahead – drawing defenders away from the space just outside the penalty area where Rooney is free to do damage. Out left in Rome, Rooney grew manifestly more desperate. As the new link-man, he is alive. "When you play in that position, you're always involved. You can get on the ball and create and score goals," he said recently. "As a footballer you enjoy that."
2. Having Darren Fletcher, the 'big-game' player, available
The abiding memory of Rome was the sight of Michael Carrick and Anderson stuck on the Barcelona carousel, not knowing whether to go tight, stand off or offer gentle pressure. Sir Alex Ferguson has always identified Darren Fletcher as the missing link that night – his red card in the semi-final second leg against Arsenal had ruled him out – and Fletcher's mental attributes for such occasions as Wembley on 28 May have led his manager to compare him to Mark Hughes.
"Some players, like Darren, are big-game players and he's a big-game player," Ferguson said. "The perfect example is Mark Hughes – he's one of the best big-game players in United's history, who never failed in a big game and Darren is that type of player."
Fletcher is expected to play a substitute's role on Sunday against Chelsea and to be restored from a debilitating virus in time for the final.
3. The joys of United being familiar with their surroundings
Ryan Giggs grinned yesterday when it was put to him that a home soil of sorts might be a help in the final. "I hope so. It's home advantage and, obviously, we've played there many times. We've won there...," he said, before the risk of hubris hit him: "... and we've lost there. We hope it does help, but it probably won't."
History suggests otherwise. It was not just the familiar pitch which helped United when they faced Benfica in the final 43 years ago, but the pre-match surroundings, too.
Sir Matt Busby's side stayed at the Great Fosters Country House hotel in the Surrey countryside and, though Sir Bobby Charlton has always remembered the struggle to put the game out of his mind, there was a walk in the country on the match-day morning and the chance to watch Sir Ivor win the Derby on the day of the final. There was also the opportunity for the players to explore the hotel's secret passageways: a ghostly cry Sir Bobby heard came from Nobby Stiles, who had found one of the hidden passages and thrown on a white sheet for dramatic effect. It all helped engender the esprit de corps which was so visible in United when the referee Concetto Lo Bello signalled play to start.
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| Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o scores Barca's first goal against Man Utd |
4. The lessons learnt in defeat the last time United met Barcelona
The current Barcelona would defeat United nine times out of 10, one Premier League manager told The Independent yesterday. But it is that manager's view that what happened last time is of most significance next time because United have been mesmerised once before by Pep Guardiola's side and they know this time around not to panic, rush in and exhaust themselves when those long periods of Barcelona possession start.
Defeat will have taught them the value of patience, 22 days from now: the knowledge that it is safe to wait, allow Barcelona to rack up the possession percentages and seek to regain the ball when it hits the edge of the 18-yard box. Those who know Ferguson best also suggest that he has genuinely believed for weeks that Lionel Messi need not be unduly feared and that he knows how to contend with the Argentine.
The idea that Ferguson will be taking much advice from Jose Mourinho, whose side were so comprehensively deposited from the tournament by Barcelona, is far-fetched. Ferguson's plans have been forming for weeks.
5. United now know more than anyone about how to react when behind
The United players have been fielding questions from this correspondent and others for the past month now on what went wrong against Barcelona in Rome. No one has ever explained and the only answer emanating from the ranks is that United simply failed to respond when Samuel Eto'o scored in Stadio Olimpico. "We just didn't react after they scored. It knocked the stuffing out of us, and if it happens again we need to react better," Giggs said, when the topic came up again late on Wednesday night.
United had entered the game as favourites and seemingly did not expect what came their way but this time the dynamics are reversed. A legend has developed around Barcelona in the two years since and Ferguson's players – who describe how they are trained to deal with being behind as they enter the final stages of games – have been trailing enough times this season for the experience to benefit them. In all, 13 points have been rescued in the final seven minutes of league matches this season. Perhaps the biggest prize can also be rescued.
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