Wayne Rooney says Manchester United have tried to remodel their style on Barcelona following their Champions League defeat to them last May.
But Rooney hailed Barca’s ability to press opponents and win back possession as their greatest strength, rather than their slick passing and devastating pace.
Rooney said manager Alex Ferguson has instilled the same approach in the minds of his players after United's chastening 3-1 defeat to the classy Catalans at Wembley last May.
“I think when you watch Barcelona a lot of people go on about their passing and the skills and how they keep the ball,” said Rooney.
“But for me when they lose the ball, how quickly they all defend and try and win the ball back, that’s the biggest asset they’ve got.
“They win it back so many times in the opponents' half and attack from there, so we’ve started trying to bring that into our game and thankfully that’s started paying off for us.
“With the younger players coming in, we’ve realised there’s a lot of energy in the team and we keep the ball moving quickly and do quick one-twos around the box.
“When we lose the ball, we defend from the front really quickly and put the teams under pressure, then we can maybe nick the ball back close to their goal.
“That’s what we’ve done and worked on and thankfully that’s paid off for us.”
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Posted By David McDonnell
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