Schmeichel wants Chicharito to upstage Messi in final

Posted Thursday, May 26, 2011 by thehindu.com

Schmeichel wants Chicharito to upstage Messi in final
Barcelona's coach Pep Guardiola with the players during a training session ahead of their final against Manchester United in the Champions League.

Retired Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, a symbol of Manchester United, is counting the hours to Saturday’s Champions League final between his former club and Barcelona.

In it, he hopes Red Devils star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez can upstage Barca striker Lionel Messi, whom many regard as the world’s best player.

“The ‘little pea’ is doing the job for us!” Schmeichel told the German Press Agency dpa in an interview in Barcelona.

With Mexican striker Hernandez, 20, in surprisingly great form in his first season in Europe, the former keeper is not worried about United having lost the likes of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo since they were defeated by Barcelona in the Champions League final two years ago.

Schmeichel, 47, knows the club well, and he also knows the tournament well: he captained United to Champions League glory in 1999. It is quite a feat to impress a legend, and Chicharito has made it.

“He’s fantastic, oh my God!” said an excited Schmeichel.

“It’s very rare that you have someone who makes that kind of impact in their first season. We always said right from the very first time we saw him that he looked a little bit like Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, and just thinking back Ole-Gunnar had the same kind of first season, just won everybody over.” Hernandez has scored 20 goals this season, and he has earned a starting place for the Red Devils, alongside Wayne Rooney. Last week, he was voted best player of the season by Manchester United supporters.

“He’s an amazing player, with an amazing talent. And he must have an amazing mind as well, because to do that, and to keep up with the pressure that he has done this season has been incredible,” Schmeichel said of the young Mexican.

The retired keeper thinks Saturday’s match is a “dream final” between “the best two teams in the world.” “This final is what we were hoping for at the beginning of the season,” he said.

Schmeichel thinks this year’s final will be more special than the one two years ago, with the key element of Wembley stadium.

“It’s a big stage. It’s a much better stadium to play in than in Rome because there is no running track, so it’s much more intimate, if you like, for a big stadium. The atmosphere is going to be incredible.” The Dane hopes Manchester United, for whom he played eight seasons, can carry the day. But he knows that Barare “an incredible team.

“What Barcelona has done this season and what they’ve done with this team is just amazing, and even from a Manchester United perspective it’s great watching Barcelona play,” he admitted.

As to the tactics of a challenging game, Schmeichel notes that United would do well to short-circuit the Barcelona midfield’s connection with Messi.

“If you can stop Messi from getting the ball too much and if you can get Messi into areas where he can’t hurt you that much, that’s something you need to work on,” he said.

“But when you’ve got players like Iniesta, Xavi, Messi, you can’t name them all, you have to be very, very wary of where everybody is.” “You have to accept that they’re an exceptionally good team.” Schmeichel thinks it is possible to stop Bar and more than one way to do it. The defensive wall fielded by coach Jose Mourinho last year, when his Inter Milan beat Barcelona in the semi-finals en route to the Champions League trophy, is just one.

“That’s a way of doing it, but he tried it again this year and he didn’t succeed with Real Madrid. So you never know with Barcelona, it’s just a very, very good team.” Schmeichel is confident that Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson can find other ways.

“I think the key for Manchester United is to play their own game, to focus on what they’re good at,” he said. “I think the strength of Manchester United is plenty to compete with Barcelona.”