Utd - no midfield, no big ears

It must rank as one of the most unusual substitutions ever by Sir Alex Ferguson.

To take off a midfielder for a forward, when his team were struggling most to stay in the game...in midfield.

I applauded the decision to bring on Carlos Tevez as Man United struggled to keep up with Barca in tonight's Champions League final - but at the expense of Anderson?

Surely, if Anderson had to come off at half time, and, true. he did have a bit of a stinker, the ready-made replacement would have been Paul Scholes?

As it was, it meant United had to try to cope with Iniesta, Xabi and Bussets with just one recognised midfielder...Michael Carrick. Sure, Giggsy was still out there, but he was playing somewhere between the front and the midfield.

It was a gamble and it didn't work. United as we know them simply did not turn up - too many of the big names froze or did not get into the game. It was as if they were flatlining - even Fergie and Mike Phelan were slumped on the bench whenever I looked, rather than getting to the touchline and urging their men on.

Barcelona were good, but United did not give us a normal United showing. It is hard to take defeat when there is no battling and no determination or grit to turn things around. From the pitch to the bench, Utd seemed floored after the 10th minute goal by Eto, who I believe is not the player he was.

I heard that both Ferdinand AND Vidic (Utd had apparently tried to keep it quiet about the Serbian because there were already doubts over Rio) were not fully fit - and it showed.

The defeat also showed two other things - Berbatov is not worth £30million (he blew over a header he should have scored) and Utd need to invest in two quality midfielders as a matter of urgency. One enforcer and another creative player. Yes, I know they have Owen Hargreaves coming back and Darren Fletcher to return from suspension, but it makes sense to strengthen an area where they are clearly not full of alternatives.

Berbatov needs to be told he has to set Old Trafford alight next season - or he is out, £30m flop or not. No doubt Spurs would be buy him back for half that money, they do have a habit of bringing back strikers who left them in the lurch (cue Keane and Defoe).

But Utd lost in Rome because they had no midfield to claw them back into the game. Barca - for all their arrogance - were worthy winners of old Big Ears (the nickname for the CL trophy). But I still don't like the way they set themselves up as the perfect team - and I am sure that if the real United had shown up, they wouldn't have had it so easy.

Next post will be on Darren Fletcher...how the boy who suffered more abuse and insults at United than anyone in recent memory became the man the club now can't do without. Amazing turnaround - football, eh, bloody hell...