The dream final...just

Let's face it, Barcelona have no plan B. Short, sharp passing, combined with light-speed movement off the ball and bags of flair and skill, that is all they've got.

And, it turns out, some guts as well!

Barca's efforts at Stamford Bridge were, let's face it, something of a let down after the absolute obliteration of Real Madrid a few days earlier. The absence of Thierry Henry had an undeniable impact; Andres Iniesta, so deadly in tandem with Xavi, was wasted out on the flank. Meanwhile, Leo Messi must have felt he was trying to dribble through a Glastonbury crowd, with no space to be found everywhere. As a result, Dani Alves could have driven a bus down the right touchline; a bus could have delivered better cross balls than the Brazilian full-back, who had a stinker on a night where he also got himself suspended for the final.

Ironically, the sending off of Abidal might have had a massive silver lining for the Blaugrana. Iniesta had to drop back into midfield, and you might agree that he had a bit of an impact?

It was hardly the victory the purists were hoping for, the crushing of "anti-football" by "jogo bonito". Chelsea were incredibly unlucky, though John Terry's claim of "six or seven penalties" and the antics of Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba have knocked them off the moral high ground. The visitors barely got out of second gear. But fair play to them for sticking to their guns, persevering with pretty football until it finally reaped dividends which RBS shareholders could only dream of.

A few months ago, I called Manchester United v Barcelona the dream Champions' League final. And it still is - the two best teams in the two best leagues, both of whom are capable of playing football to die for. Add in Messi and Ronaldo, arguably the two best players around. And against Barca, United may well be tempted to play a more cavalier lineup than that which got them beyond Internazionale, Porto and Arsenal.

For a start, the suspensions on both sides change things immensely. Sir Alex Ferguson now no longer has to have nightmares about the damage Dani Alves normally does rampaging down the right. With little attacking threat from that position, Ferguson has the opportunity to deploy Wayne Rooney more centrally, where he can run at what will be, in the absence of Marquez and Milito (and the likely shifting of Puyol to right back) another makeshift Barca back line. The other issue is the unfortunate loss of Darren Fletcher (doesn't he wish he had just said "to hell with it", and let Fabregas score?). The Carrick-Fletcher-Anderson axis were outstanding at cramping space for Arsenal's midfield; do Paul Scholes or Ryan Giggs or anyone else have the legs to get tight to the quicksilver Xavi and Iniesta?

Barcelona, of course, will play 4-3-3, with all their top players on the pitch, and let United try and deal with it. As I said, they have no plan B. And why would you need one when plan A is so good?

3 weeks to go; the anticipation is mouth-watering.

L.