Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's tactics for tomorrow's Champions League final against Barcelona have been laid bare. The Telegraph says Ferguson and his squad have spent the past fortnight preparing for the game.
With Ferguson wary of Barcelona's slick passing game, and the goal threat of Lionel Messi, Portuguese winger Nani has performed the 'Messi' role in training, replicating the Argentine forward's movement in the final third of the pitch.
Michael Owen has also been asked to play as David Villa, Barcelona's £34 million striker who enjoys cutting in from the left flank, while Paul Scholes has performed as the Spanish playmaker Andrés Iniesta.
And while United have worked at length on a 4-4-2 formation with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernández as the focal point of the attack, a plan is also in place to move to 3-4-3 should Barcelona take a lead and leave United chasing the game in the second-half.
Chris Smalling, set to be named on the substitutes' bench on Saturday, has trained as the third man at the back alongside Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
The former Fulham youngster would likely replace Ji-sung Park, with Fabio and Patrice Evra advancing into midfield behind a front three of Rooney, Hernández and Antonio Valencia.
When losing 2-1 to Arsenal at the Emirates in the Champions League's last 16 in February, Barcelona visibly tired in the final 20 minutes of the game, a factor noted by Ferguson and his backroom team.
