Fergie’s right-back headache and Pep’s left-back dilemma

By Dominic Vieira, writing from Lancaster, England

It’s Wednesday, the 2011 Champions League Final kicks off in 4 days and it’s certain that numerous thoughts will be troubling the great minds of Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola night and day. One of the greatest concerns will be United’s choice for the right-back position whilst Barcelona has a dilemma with left-backs. From a positive perspective, both managers will be delighted with the several match fit options available for the position. Who to play?

Eric Abidal is Barcelona’s first choice; however the discovery of a tumour in his liver placed him out of action for two months. Since then, the French international completed a radical recovery returning to the field on May the 3rd as a substitute against rivals Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final. Guardiola has allocated him consistent playing time as Abidal started the last 3 La Liga fixtures. But is the left-back mentally and physically prepared for the intense final, especially as he’s likely to be marking the speedy and powerful right winger Antonio Valencia. From a personal view, he’ll want to play as he missed the 2009 Final but he could the team’s weakness. 

Maxwell is probably the second name circulating Guardiola’s mind; the Brazilian defender is not a key figure in this flamboyant side but has participated in 41 official matches this season. He’s an offensive solution as he tends to march down the left corridor adding width to the side and a threat with his curling crosses. His position enables the instrumental Iniesta to play more central rather than stretch to the left side. His speed is vital to stop United’s right winger but his poor defensive positioning and error proneness relegate him to the bench. Could be a surprise in the starting XI.

The third possibility is placing summer signing Adriano in the position; he can play on either side. The 26 year old holds similar characteristics to Maxwell or Dani Alves; he’s also an offensive full-back. This could be an issue as Barcelona utilize a world-class attacking right-back; therefore it would be safer to place a defensive-minded player on the opposite side to create a balance. Most of Adriano’s appearances have been as a substitute and it won’t be a shock if he fails to sit on the bench on Saturday as there are other options ahead of him.

The final and possibly most unexpected option is employing club captain to the position which is not a terrible decision as Puyol possess experience, sheer power and reliability; he operated as a left-back in the 2009 Final. But Pique is not the same stable world-class centre-back without his equally complete partner. It’s a huge danger starting both Abidal and Puyol against a fast, fit Manchester United side which are lethal on the counter-attack. If the world champion plays as a left-back, Javier Mascherano will accompany Pique in the heart of defence. Mascherano is not a natural centre-back but he’s played in that position on several occasions this season and did not disappoint. Plus his knowledge on Manchester United could be useful. Pep Guardiola’s headache will be ongoing until the final training session, there are plenty of options with each carrying a different advantage and risk.

Expected defensive line: Alves-Pique-Puyol-Abidal

Fabio da Silva or Rafael da Silva, is there a difference? In terms of approach height, and style these twins are identical. However, Rafael plays on the right whereas his brother has the capability to play on either side. In the recent games the pair has been allocated a fair share of matches which means that form will be a challenging factor to distinguish the two. The components which could clear Fergie’s mind will be their work rate in training or experience. Fabio has participated in 37 matches over 3 seasons and Rafael featured in 72; he sat on the bench for the 2009 Final. This season Rafael started 25 games and Fabio 16. The decision will be tough, but Rafael is likely to have the upper hand and will start if Ferguson decides to implement an attacking approach. A perfect partner to accompany Valencia when attacking down the right.

Defensive and experienced, John O'Shea. The utility man has played the most in this position, but has sustained several injuries throughout the campaign. David Villa is Barcelona’s main threat bombarding from the left which means a man of O'Shea’s positioning and style would be suitable to block the attacker. However, Villa is an explosive player and the 30 year old may not have the capabilities to keep up with him, he’s not the greatest at one-to-one as he’s been easily beaten in the past. But the versatile defender has played almost 400 games in a United shirt, including the 2009 Final and experience is irreplaceable.

Wes Brown is the other right-back in the squad but his fitness and lack of match time rules him out of contention. The Manchester United options are simple, either the manager will opt for an offensive right-back full of flair which can attack and defend or employ a conservative, defensive-minded stronger one.

Expected defensive line: Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra

Who would you pick?