Barca/Man Utd XI

Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar

Both Victor Valdes and Edwin van der Sar have excellent distribution so it then came down to who was the more consistent of the two and the big Dutchman won this hands down. Tomorrow will be his last game for the club and he will be hoping he can bow out at the top.

Right-back: Dani Alves

Although Fabio and Rafael may one day usurp Alves in the national team, currently the Barcelona right back is streets ahead of them. The former Sevilla man is often questioned for his defensive frailty but, in truth, this is only surmised due to the fact he is so rarely tested in that area of the field.

Left-back: Patrice Evra

In spite of not having his best season at the club, Evra at left-back was one of the easiest decisions as this is a position of weakness in the Barcelona line-up.

Centre-back: Rio Ferdinand

Ferdinand is one half of the best central defensive pairing in world football. Nuff said.

Centre-back: Nemanja Vidic

Vidic is the other half.

Midfielder: Sergio Busquets

The son of a former Barcelona goalkeeper who played against United in the 1991 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, Busquets will be hoping to avoid a repeat of his father's performance as he was culpable for both goals in a 2-1 defeat for the Catalan giants in Rotterdam. This would be unlikely, though, as the holding midfielder is accurate in passing and tough in the tackle.

Midfielder: Andres Iniesta

Iniesta was described by Wayne Rooney as the best player in the world after the 2009 final and was an easy choice in what is an area of the pitch where United are easily outstripped by their opponents.

Midfielder: Xavi Hernandez

The best passer in the world. How can he not be in this team?

Forward: Wayne Rooney

Just makes the team ahead of team-mates Nani and Antonio Valencia. Rooney's form has returned in 2011 after a disappointing 2010 and is still one of the most feared strikers in world football. He also would suit a fluid front three with the opportunity to play left, right or down the middle in an inter-changing formation.

Forward: David Villa

Just edges out his team-mate Pedro. Villa's not been as consistent for Barca as he was for his former club, Valencia, but is still a major threat and ignore him at your peril, as Arsenal discovered at the Emirates in February.

Forward: Lionel Messi

Do you really need this one to be explained?

Canaries return to a very different tree

Norwich City will be in the Premier League next season and it will be only their second year in the top flight since the heady days of twenty years ago but the division has changed a lot since then.

Norwich secured promotion earlier this month thanks to a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth. This, aligned with Cardiff’s 3-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough on the same day, enabled the Canaries to gain entry at the nation’s top table after a six year absence.

However, if you cast your mind back further, to the beginning of football, as Sky Sports always seem so keen to remind us, the start of the Premier League era in August 1992 saw Mark Robins scoring a hat-trick on his debut. This was against the recently deposed champions, Arsenal, on their own turf, as Norwich City posted a 4-2 victory.

The Canaries began that season in fine style and continued in a similar vein right through to April, when Manchester United, inspired by a certain Eric Cantona, won 3-1 at Carrow Road, preventing the Norfolk side from winning their first ever league championship.

Indeed, Norwich were top at Christmas but this title tilt was not a surprise as Norwich frequently finished in the upper echelons of England's top flight in those days. For almost a decade in the late 80s, early 90s Norwich threatened the establishment. Twice they finished in the top four during that spell, without betraying the club’s traditions of playing attractive football along the way.

Those league positions would have made Norwich an infrequent participant in world football’s premier club competition - the Champions League. But the landscape of football has changed drastically since then and the thought of the Norfolk club entertaining the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid on a regular basis sounds as barmy as a rousing half-time speech from owner Delia Smith. ‘Where are ya’, the TV cook famously asked the loyal Carrow Road support. Well, you won’t hear the giants of European football asking the same question of Norwich each year they enter the latter stages of the Champions League.

It was a case of bad timing for Norwich when they exited the Premier League in 1995. They left the party just as things were about to get good.

Sky’s financial input was increasing with every new deal; the new millennium arrived as English clubs began to find their feet in European football; to make matters worse for the Canaries, the Champions League pot of cash increased year upon year and so did the number of English participants.

In 1995, the number of English entrants was just one. This had doubled by the 98/99 season and Manchester United took full advantage by winning the Champions League, despite finishing second in the title race to Arsenal the previous season.

Of course, as it stands today, UEFA, European football’s governing body, awards four Champions League places to the Premier League. How Norwich must wish that had been the case when they were a prominent force in English football.

To add to Norwich’s chagrin, a glance at the prize money awarded by the Premier League has changed dramatically since its inception in 1992. The inaugural winners, Manchester United, earned £815,000, approximately the same as what West Ham will earn for finishing bottom this year. For winning the title this season, United will earn in excess of £16 million. 19 years ago Norwich finished third. They received £741,000 for their efforts. If they had finished in the same position in 2011 they would have expected to be £14.5 million richer.

City legend Jeremy Goss, who is about to embark on a charity bike ride to Munich, the scene of his famous volleyed goal in a 2-1 victory for the Carrow Road outfit in a 1993 UEFA Cup tie, thinks super rich owners have added to the financial gulf in today’s game.

The former Wales international said: "It started off with Jack Walker when he bought Blackburn (in 1995). They bought Tim Sherwood, (Alan) Shearer, Chris Sutton. They bought success."

Sherwood and Sutton were both snatched away from Norwich and the club were relegated as Blackburn won the title.

The financial input of new owners did not end there, as Goss continues: "The next big thing was Abramovich at Chelsea who blew the footballing world apart. It was ridiculous. No-one could compete with them, players earning £10 million a year, unheard of in my day.

"This was on top of the big clubs, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, who were all paying massive wages and filling 40, 50, 60,000 stadiums. Little old Norwich couldn’t compete."

In addition, transfer fees and player wages have increased ten-fold over the last two decades.

Goss, however, is not bitter about the riches on offer to the current crop of Premier League footballers. He said: "You can’t help when you were born. My era was terrific and I loved every minute of it. I didn’t go into the game for financial gain – the fast cars, the flash houses. But I think a lot of the young players of today are motivated by money."

What is particularly galling for Norwich’s support is the manner in which they went down in ‘95. Comfortably in the top half at Christmas, Norwich suffered an unlikely relegation and almost ten years of frustration.

The Norfolk club regained Premier League status in 2004 under the guidance of manager Nigel Worthington but this time the priority was survival, not a Champions League spot, as the landscape of the Premier League had changed beyond all recognition since they last kicked a Premier League ball in anger nearly ten years previously.

In spite of an end of season run of victories, including a 2-0 home win over Manchester United, the Canaries did not have enough to preserve their top flight status. The final nail in their Premiership coffin coming at Craven Cottage, a humiliating 6-0 defeat at Fulham on the last day of the season, as they headed back whence they came, to English football’s second tier.

This was soon followed by relegation to League One as Delia’s team went into freefall.

The 7-1 opening day home defeat to Colchester at the beginning of the 2009/10 season is often seen as a nadir for the club. Two season ticket holders remonstrated with then coach Bryan Gunn on the touchline, ripping up their season tickets in front of the former City goalkeeper.

However, the appointment of Paul Lambert, who won the Champions League as a player with Borrussia Dortmund as Norwich’s demise was taking hold in 1997, has seen Norwich gain successive promotions and a return to the promised land.

Lambert has brought an indomitable spirit to the club as BBC Radio Norfolk commentator Chris Goreham confirmed: "I think the most remarkable transformation under Lambert has been the away form. Our approach to games has been really refreshing. Having been away with Norwich as a commentator for almost every game since 2005 our away record before Lambert was appalling but now it is much different. Look at the way we dismantled Ipswich at Portman Road."

Norwich won 5-1 against their arch-rivals from neighbouring Suffolk last month to help propel the club towards promotion.

However, it’s the club’s penchant for last minute goals that has really caught the eye since the Scot took over as manager.

Goreham added: "It doesn’t happen by accident. I think it comes back to the spirit and the belief that comes from the manager. Last season they scored 12 or 13 late goals which speaks volumes."

Needless to say, their first, and possibly sole, mission next season is to retain their Premiership status. The days of a newly promoted side finishing in the top four, or even better, are over.

Jeremy Goss is hoping for a little more than safety, though. He said: "I can see them being a team like Fulham, where they progress slowly into the Premiership."

They certainly won’t be lacking in support. The Norwich faithful are renowned for filling their stadium. When they were in League One they would still sell out Carrow Road’s capacity of 27,000 on a frequent basis.

Now that they’re in the Premier League, ex-midfield maestro Goss feels that they could expand their stadium to appease demand. He said: "If you built a 40,000 seater stadium they’d fill it. When I worked at the club last season (as Reserve team manager) I think there were plans to build on the existing City stand. Add maybe 5,000, plus executive boxes and they would fill it every week. Every single person round here wants a taste of Premiership football."

With the additional income that would bring, the future could be very bright, particularly as there isn’t a league club within 40 miles of Norwich.

Attracting players has proved to be a problem for the Norfolk-based club in the past as Radio Norfolk’s Chris Goreham explains: "Glenn Roeder, when he was manager, once described Norwich as being like a city in a big field and I do think it puts players off coming here but Paul Lambert has shown there’s no reason why that shouldn’t stop us recruiting the right kind of players. Maybe the young players want the bright lights of London and see Norwich as the back and beyond but the characters Lambert wants at this club are level-headed, intelligent, experienced blokes that give us great team spirit."

The manager is certainly Norfolk’s very own ‘special one’. In the future he may want to fly the Canaries’ nest but, for now, City fans can dream. Who knows, one day maybe City can rejoice with an invitation from UEFA president Michel Platini to join Europe’s elite. City fans whose memories stretch back to the days of Goss, Crook and Gunn would say it’s not before time.

*If you wish to sponsor Jeremy Goss please go to http://www.nnab.org.uk/ for more details.

Forever blowing troubles

Sunday 15 May will go down as one of the darkest days in West Ham’s recent history. 2-0 up at half-time, Premier League salvation seemed possible. 45 minutes later and they were staring into the abyss following the concession of three soft goals to relegation rivals Wigan Athletic.

Owners David Gold and David Sullivan admitted to the Guardian prior to losing that game that the club was "in a worse financial position than any other club in the country".

This week in the same newspaper David Conn reported that ‘West Ham made a £21m loss last season and relegation will cause a crisis’.

The club have been in trouble since the ownership of the Icelandic group headed by Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, prior to the former Birmingham chairmen taking control. Pete May, author of Hammers in the Heart, said: "They (Gold and Sullivan) have been pretty crap but it’s not entirely their fault as they inherited huge debts from Gudmundsson. He owned an Icelandic bank which went bust following the ‘credit crunch’."

The signs are not good for the future as players will have to be sold to help trim the club’s £54 million annual wage bill and the loss of Scott Parker, the club’s talismanic skipper, will be sorely felt as the Hammers try to return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Here are the key factors behind their demise, along with the thoughts of Hammers legend Tony Cottee and writer Pete May:

The appointment of Avram Grant

Gold and Sullivan sacked Grant in the immediate aftermath of the Wigan debacle. This was hardly a surprise as the former Portsmouth boss’s second relegation in a row should never have happened with the players at his disposal.

With experienced internationals like Parker, Robbie Keane, Wayne Bridge, Carlton Cole, Rob Green, Thomas Hitzelsperger and Matthew Upson, relegation should never have been on the agenda.

Stories of a rousing half-time speech from Parker in the 3-3 draw at West Bromwich Albion hardly did Grant any favours as the question that followed was: shouldn’t this kind of inspiration be coming from the manager, not the captain?

As for his tactics and selections, Grant came in for particular criticism for the way his side lost from winning positions. The capitulation at the hands of Manchester United, in a addition to the Wigan result, proved fatal.

His decision not to start with Parker, who was recovering from injury, or Cole against the Latics has also attracted criticism, particularly as he went for inexperience in the form of Jordan Spence, who made his debut at the DW Stadium.

With typical dignity, Grant told the Guardian: "Yes, I take responsibility. I am not a guy who gives responsibility to other people. It is my responsibility to pick the team and choose the tactics. The results were my responsibility. My job was to keep this team in the league and I failed."

Cottee: "Absolutely it was a mistake to appoint him. I’m not saying that now. I was saying that when he was appointed, it was a mistake. I think everyone in football knew it was a mistake but we can’t keep looking back and how bad the manager was. It’s over and done with now. We look forward."

Bad recruits

The purchase of in-form striker Demba Ba apart, the Hammers’ transfer record over the last 12-18 months has undoubtedly contributed to their downfall.

Winston Reid and Pablo Barrera, who both arrived for sizeable sums last summer, never looked like Premier League players.

In January the Upton Park outfit tried to rectify those mistakes but loan signings Wayne Bridge and Robbie Keane never had the desired effect.

Bridge’s debut against Arsenal included giving away two penalties and Keane, who arrived on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, contributed just two goals and will be best remembered for missing a host of chances to secure victory against fellow relegation battlers Blackburn Rovers earlier this month.

May: "For £90,000 a week you expect more from Wayne Bridge. You would expect him to help organise the defence. If you saw the way N’Zogbia, for Wigan, turned him inside and out, you expected a bit more from someone who’s supposed to be almost as good as Ashley Cole. Benni McCarthy’s another one. He was a complete waste of time. They (Gold and Sullivan) wasted £5 million on him, but he was signed before Grant’s appointment so I guess he can be absolved of any blame for that one."

Gold and Sullivan

As bad as Grant was, Gold and Sullivan are the biggest cancer at Upton Park. For a start, they appointed the Israeli in the first place. To make matters worse, they made a right mess of trying to appoint Martin O’Neill back in January as Grant’s replacement, only for the ex-Aston Villa boss to turn the job down once the story was leaked to the press.

As a result, Grant was severely undermined. West Ham played Arsenal at Upton Park in the midst of the fiasco and the visiting fans heaped more embarrassment on the Israeli when they chanted "You’re getting sacked in an hour".

Since his dismissal, Grant has claimed that six people were offered his job during his tenure.

Cottee: "They’ve got to prove to the fans that they’ve got the interests of the club at heart. In my view, they’ve got to pay the wages for a proper manager to run the football club. We haven’t had a proper manager in the last year. It’s important, to get a proper manager, to pay the right wages and that’s what I would like them to do so we can entice a Martin O’Neill, a Sam Allardyce, or another big name to West Ham to put us back where we belong. If they do that, not too many people will be complaining. Obviously, they need to sort out the financial situation at the club as well."

Injuries

Players absent through injury happens at all clubs yet West Ham’s squad, especially after their January purchases, were top heavy on strikers and lacking in midfield replacements. Therefore, the loss of Thomas Hitzelsperger at the beginning of the season for seven months and Scott Parker, their inspirational captain and PFA Player of the Year, for the final weeks was seen as crucial as the Hammers struggled against the tide taking them towards the Championship.

May: "We were unlucky with Hitzelsperger and Parker but it’s been never-ending. Ilunga, the left-back, never really recovered from injury and was left out of the 25 man squad for the second half of the season. Noble getting injured against Chelsea a few weeks ago left our midfield threadbare. Upson’s had his usual fair share of injuries, as has Tomkins, who has been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season. But we’ve had the squad to cover for injuries so it’s no excuse really."

Players under-performing

Ask any West Ham season ticket holder and they will air their disgruntlement regarding certain senior players.

Matthew Upson seems to have continued his downward spiral ever since his lamentable display against Germany in last year’s World Cup.

Carlton Cole’s performances have ranged from disappointing to woeful and Robert Green has withstood a lot of what opponents have had to throw at him but even he was culpable in that defeat at Wigan.

Cottee: "The players under-performed. The players need to have a real good look at themselves because they just didn’t perform. You can blame the manager all you like, which I have done, but they’re the ones that go out onto the field and they didn’t perform."

The next managerial appointment is crucial

Former striker Cottee is in no doubt that the next guy to come in as manager has a huge task on his hands and the club, unlike last time, need to get the decision right.

He said: "I think it’s now a situation where everyone’s got to look forward to next season and the club needs to re-build. The most important thing is to get the right manager in. Once that’s done then the next manager will have to get rid of all the players that are either out of contract or don’t want to stay. Try and keep all the good, young players. And then just re-build the squad in time for August, next season."

Cottee knows who he would most like to see take the reins. He said emphatically: "I’d love to see Martin O’Neill. He’d be my first choice."

And if the Northern Irishman turned it down? "I would have no problems with Sam Allardyce," he said. "Slaven Bilic, I wouldn’t have a problem with but I would’ve thought most of those guys that I’ve mentioned are going to want pretty big wages to come to the club so if they’re not given big wages, then you’re not going to attract a big name manager. Then if it is a cheaper option, it could be anyone really."

The problem many West Ham fans would have with Allardyce would be the likelihood of an uncompromising, direct style of football but Cottee believes the former Blackburn Rovers gaffer could adapt his managerial style to suit the Hammers’ traditions.

"You’ve got to get the club back up but obviously there’s a tradition at West Ham and there’s a style of play, a football ethos, if you like, that the fans want to see," Cottee added. "Listen, Sam Allardyce is no-one’s fool. He knows how to play football. He normally works with the tools that he’s got and if he did come to West Ham he would know, more than anyone, that West Ham have got a certain style of football to play and I’m sure he would adjust accordingly. He would make sure you’ve got the right players in the club but the fans also want to get back into the Premier League so it would have to be a combination of both - winning football with playing football the right way."

And West Ham fans would settle for that as they have not seen much of either commodity for quite some time.