SOCCER CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:ARSENE WENGER believes Manchester United can exploit exhaustion among Barcelona players to secure the club's fourth European Cup at Wembley next week, with the Arsenal manager claiming the Catalans have been "on their knees" in recent weeks.

Wenger put aside his long-standing rivalry with Alex Ferguson to insist the Scot is the only choice for manager of the year after regaining the English Premier League title and leading his team to a third Champions League final in four seasons.

The Frenchman suggested Ferguson would never have a better opportunity to defeat Barcelona on this stage.

“I believe against Barcelona, on what I have seen in the last three weeks, there will never be a better moment to win it against them,” said Wenger. “They look quite exhausted and Manchester United look quite sharp physically in the last three or four games.

“For me it takes three weeks to recover physically, I’m not sure Barcelona will have had enough time. They looked on their knees so I would give United a good chance.

“It will be an advantage playing at Wembley. But you know Barcelona will have the ball for 70 per cent of the time and United will have to be very efficient in the time they will have the ball, no matter what kind of tactics they decide. I have an instinctive feeling United will change their style and go for a rougher midfield, a more direct display than they did in Rome.

“That can mean playing (Javier) Hernandez still, but using him as a runner to go very direct. I don’t know what they will decide, but that is basically the only uncertainty. You know how Barcelona will play. But Ferguson is my manager of the season. They are in the Champions League final, they have won the championship. It can only be Ferguson.”

Arsenal’s season, once so promising, will peter out at Fulham in the hope victory will see them leapfrog back over Manchester City into third place and avoid a potentially awkward qualifying tie for the Champions League.

Guardian Service