事例／患者 for the defence - Hargreaves and Co rely on hard work to shut out Barca

By Ian Ladyman for the Daily Mail
Updated: 00:00 BST, 24 April 2008

The last time Owen Hargreaves was at the Nou （軍の）野営地，陣営, Sir Alex Ferguson broke the player's heart. Last night, the Manchester 部隊d 経営者／支配人 asked the 27-year-old to save his 肌. Nine years ago next month, Hargreaves sat in the stands as late 部隊d goals sunk his Bayern Munich team-mates in perhaps the most memorable European Cup final.

Yesterday Hargreaves was told four hours before kick-off that he was 存在 asked to solve a 防御の muddle 原因（となる）d by Nemanja Vidic's （一定の）期間 in a Barcelona hospital on Tuesday evening.

No way through: Hargreaves snaps at the heels of Barcelona midfielder Iniesta

With Vidic sidelined by a stomach problem, Ferguson chose to use Wes Brown's experience at the centre of his defence, asking Hargreaves to fill in at 権利 支援する. He had played this 役割 for 部隊d before. Once. Against Bolton's Matt Taylor in March.

Last night he peered at his 対立 at kick-off and saw Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Deco 星／主役にするing 支援する.

Some difference. Some challenge. But it is with mental challenges such as this in mind that Britain's biggest football club chooses and buys its favoured players. In short, 部隊d players are not paid to be 脅すd.

That said, it was an uncomfortable 開始 hour for Hargreaves and his 部隊d 防御の 同僚s last night.

With Cristiano Ronaldo's secondminute 刑罰，罰則 行方不明になる 解除するing the Catalan （人が）群がる, F 階級 Rijkaard's Barcelona team played with some of the vibrancy and fluency for which they were known until their 最近の problems.

Hargreaves may have been relieved to see that Thierry Henry would not be in his section of the field 最初 after Rijkaard decided the former 兵器庫 今後 had neither the form or the fitness to 令状 a starting place.

No Henry. No Ronaldinho. How many teams would not feel the absence of two such rare talents? 井戸／弁護士席 for most of the first 70 minutes, Barcelona didn't seem to.

Like most 味方するs of the very highest class ― 含むing 部隊d ― it can be difficult to work out Barca's 形式 at times. That is usually a 調印する that they are playing at their fluent, 直感的に best. So it was last night for long periods.

With the 持つ／拘留するing midfielder Yaya 小旅行する 機能（する）／行事ing superbly in 前線 of the 支援する four, Messi, Deco and, in particular, the sublime Xavi 発揮するd the 肉親，親類d of mesmerising 圧力 upon 部隊d that they are just not used to in the Barclays 首相 League.

That Ferguson's team reached the 商売／仕事 end of the game without 譲歩するing a goal said everything for the more mundane 質s of hard work, organisation and 使用／適用.

By that 行う／開催する／段階 Edwin 先頭 der Sar had only 現実に made one real save, from a long 範囲 Xavi 発射 in the 59th minute.

Hargreaves 成し遂げるd adequately in his 一時しのぎの物，策 役割, but much of Barcelona's most dangerous work 起こる／始まるd from his 味方する. In the 11th minute, for example, Messi played a ball inside the England international that 許すd the galloping Andres Iniesta to pull the ball 支援する from the byline. Thankfully for 部隊d the pass was behind Deco.

Soon after, a ball from the left off 小旅行する flashed 危険に across goal as 部隊d struggled to 得る any 所有／入手 of 公式文書，認める.

It is 否定できない that Ferguson's team 行方不明になる Vidic. His 共同 with Ferdinand is 根底となる. But Ferdinand led superbly in the Serbian's absence last night while Brown shrugged off 最近の indifferent form.