We bid farewell to that all too catchy Champions League jingle for another term but there were certainly some familiar faces in those Barcelona and Juventus line-ups.
So how are they faring away from Old Trafford in the big time of arguably Europe’s biggest competition. Despite it being Luis Enrique’s former Red Devil – Gerard Pique – that were laden in the riches of victory following tonight’s affair, trio Paul Pogba, Carlos Tevez, and Patrice Evra were also very much alive in the Berlin based final.
Gerard Pique
He didn’t write the headlines but the central defender showed his worth to his side, putting in a solid performance consisting of clearing what seemed to be at one point towards the latter stages of the first 45 an endless stream of balls from the box. Once to safety, Pique even lead the line at one point. After heading behind to relieve the pressure, the 28-year-old allowed Barcelona to go a heavily outnumbered five-on-three – as was the same old story this evening – by hoisting the ball to his teammates.
Additionally, he lent a hand further afield by coming up for corners in order to utilize that six foot four physique of his (not that his toucan-esque hairstyle of his doesn’t add a few inches). A standout chance in particular presented itself to the former United backline member when the ball was bouncing around in the area; cleverly waiting for it to drop, it was narrowly blazed over but was still a decent go by Pique, bearing in mind he actually had his back to goal at the time.
Paul Pogba
Initially, Paul Pogba didn’t show us why Louis van Gaal should go out of his way to resign the midfielder, nor was he showboating his potential to his admiring opponents. Social media were sent into a frenzy, dubbing Juventus’ number six ‘overrated’ as his clumsiness resulted in him running into clusters of Barcelona shirts often. However, what was admirable is how he persisted for possession. One occasion that sticks in my mind was when he robbed his rival of the ball on the edge of the area; that’s some place to win it back.
Subsequent to the interval, the team talk transformed the 22-year-old into his usual self, taking shots – a couple of which had to be scrambled away by Ter Stergen – and attempting to provide his fellow friends with likewise opportunities by launching balls into the box. Perhaps he didn’t grab the chance tonight presented with both hands as we would have liked for Pogba to prove himself worth the £70 million price tags being banded around; I believe this was frequently due to the lack of bodies arriving in the box for the man in question to supply to though. But nonetheless, his Manc-like accent post-match must hold some meaning, eh?
Carlos Tevez
Quite the remarkable turnaround in his career, having participated in a relegation scrap with top flight England outfit, West Ham, not so long ago and now representing an Italian side in the UEFA Champions League Final. Tevez deserved this. Along with Juventus’ slow start, Tevez somewhat epitomised this with shots you would normally guarantee him to put on target at the very least sailing over the bar. In the end he was a beacon in relighting the fans’ hopes.
It’s a shame we couldn’t see him put away one of his chances late on when he found the space but it wasn’t to be for the striker who will return to Turin with a bowed head. I doubt it will deter the likes of Liverpool’s interest in the 31-year-old though. You cannot doubt his passion though and some of his tackles emulated this. In fact, pundits Townsend and Tyldesley wouldn’t have been provoked to utter the words we didn’t think possible of ‘Juve are on top here’ without him.
Patrice Evra
A bit of a non-descript performance from the left-back with his name rarely mentioned. Venturing forward on the odd occasion, Evra was able to provide support for Juventus’ wide men but unfortunately, him and the rest of his backline were powerless as they were sliced open by Barca’s team effort for that first stunning strike. As an individual, he was beaten to the ball by Luis Suarez who smashed home the victors second to all but dampen Juventus’ spirits and see them off.
You can sympathise with the man who once donned the United shirt too, as he has now experienced disappointment in a Champions League final with three different clubs (those being our good selves, Monaco, and now his current club). Not to add insult to injury but it is in fact his fourth loss in this final also.
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