Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester United will go bouncing into the Champions League final after they secured the Premier League title with a 2-0 win over Wigan on Sunday.

Ferguson, understandably feeling pretty pleased, also more or less ruled out retiring even if United go on to celebrate a double with victory over Chelsea in Moscow later this month.

United played the best attacking football in England this season so it’s hard to argue that they didn’t deserve the title, and it was great to see Ryan Giggs, on a record-equalling day, come off the bench to put the finishing touches to the win.

But is Ferguson right in thinking this will give United a significant advantage going into the Champions League final? Winning titles is infectious, but then again, they may just find it tough to take their minds off Chelsea’s victory over them last month.

What do you reckon? Are United worthy champions? Will they go on and add the Champions League to Ferguson’s already fantastic honours board? Or can Chelsea come back from this?

PHOTO: Ryan Giggs raises the Premier League trophy on Sunday, May 11, 2008. REUTERS/Phil Noble.

In a bumper Friday edition of Vlog on the Pitch Owen Wyatt is joined by Jon Bramley and Darcy Lambton (described in the comments this week as a glamour boy, and who are we to argue?) to discuss who’ll be delighted and who’ll be distraught after the final weekend of the Premier League season.

But don’t let Owen and his boys hog the screen. If you’ve got something to say, record yourself on camera, as lo-def as you like, and put it up on google video, youtube or somewhere similar. If you tag it “Vlog on the Pitch” we’ll find it and post it up here.

Otherwise, send us your comments in the usual way. We love to hear your views…

Kevin Fylan, Berlin

“This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring, but great, leagues,” was the verdict of Kevin Keegan after his Newcastle side failed to stop the Chelsea juggernaut on Monday. Owen Wyatt is joined by Vlog on the Pitch regulars Jon Bramley and Darcy Lambton to discuss Keegan’s comments, as the Premier League draws to a close with the same top four sides as usual.

Keegan seems to have come round to the way this blog has been thinking for a while (see this from August last year). But is he right? And if so, what’s the solution? Should we all just be watching the Championship, as Mike Collett suggested? Let us know in the comments, or record your own answer on video, whack it up on t’internet tagged ‘Vlog on the pitch’ and we’ll track it down and uppost here.

There’s speculation in Marca today that if AC Milan do complete a deal to sign Ronaldinho at the end of the season, they might be prepared to let Kaka move to Real Madrid.

That got me thinking about what the other knock-on effects might be, and especially about whether Barcelona would feel obliged to sign another big-name player as a replacement.

My own view is that this would be a good time for Barcelona to go down a different route. Ever since Joan Laporta took over as president they’ve pursued a relentless policy of buying in top names, from Ronaldinho to Deco, Samuel Eto’o and on to Thierry Henry.

For the first couple of seasons it worked very well, as the club regained their status as European heavyweights, won the league title and went on to claim the Champions League. Now, though, is surely the time to say enough is enough.

If Ronaldinho does go, the coach (whoever that might be) will still be able to call on Henry, Eto’o, Messi, Bojan and Giovani to fill the forward positions. And that’s the main difference between Barcelona now and Real Madrid when they were reaching the end of their ‘galactico’ era.

Real were so focused on their megastars that the squad as a whole had a threadbare look about it, which became increasingly obvious as time wore on. Barcelona have no such problems and if they manage to resist the temptation to throw money at another major forward it should just mean more space to grow for Bojan et al.

What do you reckon? Should Barcelona go out and sign a direct replacement — a Kaka, for example? Should they throw money at the Premier League to get a Torres or a Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas or even Cristiano Ronaldo (presumably untouchable, but you never know)? And while we’re at it, should Real Madrid pursue their interest in long-term target Kaka? Give us your ideas in the comments.

PHOTO: Kaka reacts during Milan’s Serie A game against AS Roma in Rome March 15, 2008. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

A Ronaldinho move to AC Milan now just seems to be a matter of time, after the club and the player’s agent both announced that personal terms have been agreed.

“There is a general agreement with the player,” Milan chief executive Adriano Galliani said on Saturday. ”Now a deal has to be reached with Barcelona. Give us time.”

When we last discussed this on the blog, the general feeling seemed to be that he should leave Barcelona asap. Whatever the reasons, it is a long time since the Brazilian has played consistently well for Barca and if a move elsewhere can help him rediscover the effortless brilliance of old, everyone who loves football will be happy.

Assuming the move goes ahead — and sorting out a deal between the two clubs may not be straightforward — the question remains whether Milan is the best place for him.

When Ronaldinho joined Barcelona he was basically on a rescue mission for the Catalan club, who had fallen so far behind Real Madrid that it was getting embarrassing.

It’s easy to forget now, but for the first few months at the Nou Camp he was not entirely successful. Sure, he showed more than a few flashes of brilliance, and he certainly brought the club the touch of glamour they so desired, but it was only when Edgar Davids came in mid-season that the team’s fortunes revived.

The arrival of the Dutchman seemed to relieve a bit of the weight from Ronaldinho’s shoulders and by the end of that season few people had any doubts that they were watching the world’s best player.

Milan are not in such bad shape as Barcelona were in 2003 but unquestionably they are no longer top dog in Italy. If Ronaldinho does go there, will the pressure to lead the revival prove too much for him? Or is it just the sort of challenge he needs? Give us your thoughts in the comments. 

PHOTO: Ronaldinho sits on the pitch during Barcelona’s Champions League game against Celtic at the Nou Camp, March 4, 2008. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

For once a tie between two English sides in Europe brought out the best of the Premier League. A breathless second leg at Anfield has already been hailed as a classic after Liverpool won through 5-3 on aggregate to set up yet another semi-final against Chelsea, which will doubtless be slightly less of a classic.

Still, let’s take a bit of time to let Tuesday’s match sink in. It will be remembered by Liverpool fans as another great European night at Anfield, while Arsenal supporters will see the tie as a whole as a tale of two penalties — one turned down in London and one given in Liverpool.

We’ll have more on this on the blog tomorrow. For now, read Mike Collett’s report from Anfield here at the main site — he describes the tension on the night as almost unbearable — and send us your views on the match, the tie and the semi-final to come. Did Rafa Benitez get his tactics wrong at the start? Were Arsenal hard done by? And when was the last time you saw a European tie as good as that?

PHOTO: Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel celebrate victory over Arsenal at Anfield, April 8, 2008. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

Was it just me, or did anyone else secretly prefer Liverpool Light to the Real Thing?

The Liverpool side that took the field for part two of the triple-header with Arsenal featured eight changes from the team that came away with a 1-1 draw from the Champions League first leg, including an all-new midfield and attack.

Rafa Benitez must have felt slightly apologetic when he sent out Peter Crouch to lead a team made up mainly of fringe players but things turned out better than he could have hoped.

Inspired by an immense Crouch, they showed far more ambition than they had in the Champions League game and probably deserved more than the same 1-1 scoreline. Anfield Red are among those now wondering if the striker should start on Tuesday. I’m not saying they were any better than Arsenal, or even better than the Liverpool team from the first game, but their willingness to improvise going forward and occasionally leave gaps at the back made for a far more entertaining game.

Liverpool fans were also enthused by a promising debut from Damien Plessis, a 20-year-old signed from Lyon last year. Here’s what Liverpool Pies had to say:

I’m excited because yesterday I saw one of the best Liverpool debuts I can remember in a long, long time. Midfielder Damien Plessis’ inclusion in the starting XI at Emirates Stadium came as a shock, but the 20-year-old Frenchman played a blinder and for me was Man of the Match.

Anyway, Benitez will doubtless wheel out Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Alonso and co for Tuesday’s game at Anfield and they’ll probably spend most of the game in two close lines behind the ball, trying to hold out for the goalless draw that would see them to another semi-final.

Liverpool have made that sort of performance their trademark lately, and they’re obviously pretty good at it. But is that really entertainment?

PHOTO: Crouch celebrates his goal against Arsenal at Highbury, April 5, 2008. REUTERS/Kieran Doherty

Tune into the latest Vlog on the Pitch, as our dynamic duo Owen Wyatt and Jon Bramley discuss Manchester United’s effortless brilliance, Barcelona’s flawed beauty and Nicklas Bendtner’s inexplicable fondness for Irish dancing.

Leave us your thoughts on the week’s Champions League action in the comments below, or better still record your own video musings, post them up to youtube or wherever tagged “vlog on the pitch” and if we like them we’ll put them up here.

And if you’ve got any idea why Owen’s got a piece of unfinished knitting sticking out of his ear, please let us know.

It was just like old times for me covering Frank Rijkaard’s press conferences either side of Barcelona’s Champions League win over Schalke, as another Dutch coach got the Louis van Gaal treatment from the media.

I was based in Barcelona when Van Gaal finally called it quits at the end of his first spell at the club and listening to the Catalan press and radio hounding out the former Ajax man was at times almost painful.

Barcelona’s 3-2 defeat by Real Betis at the weekend led to headlines calling the Schalke game an “ultimatum”, while Rijkaard was asked whether a jokey conversation, caught on camera, about him carrying a parachute as hand luggage for the flight had any deep significance.

The difference is that not only does Rijkaard have more credit built up than Van Gaal did — thanks to the Champions League win in 2006 — but that the younger man refuses to rise to the bait. Van Gaal could never resist getting into arguments with journalists, while Rijkaard simply smiles, leans back and mumbles a few well-worn phrases about the team having to work harder.

So what to make of the Schalke game, which was won 1-0 thanks to a goal from the ludicrously talented 17-year-old Bojan Krkic?

If Barcelona go on to win the tie and reach the semi-finals, as they surely now should, it will be remembered as a textbook display in a European away game. That’s not the real story.

This was a case of Barcelona showing the same failings as they had against Betis, when they let slip a two-goal lead, but getting away with it.

Barcelona were so superior to Schalke in the first half that it was quite ridiculous. Xavi and Iniesta in midfield strolled around the Arena AufSchalke as if they owned the place, creating what seemed to be an endless series of passes that led to the early goal for Bojan and should have brought them many more.

In the second half Barcelona just stopped playing, and failed to create a single scoring chance. Schalke showed how you beat them by not giving them anything like the time on the ball they had in the first half, pouring players down the wings and sending high balls into the middle. A better team would have had them.

It’s worth remembering that Deco, Ronaldinho and Messi all missed the game through injury, while Eto’o looked barely fit. Still, it must be frustrating to Barcelona fans to see a team with such talented players play themselves into trouble again and again.

What’s the next step? From talking to my colleagues from Barcelona it looks more and more like a change of coach at the end of the season, even if Rijkaard doesn’t quite have his parachute packed yet.

Kevin Fylan, Gelsenkirchen

It’s just as well Fabio Capello decided to recall David Beckham to his squad for the friendly against France next week because otherwise there’d be very little else for England fans to get excited about.

Assuming Beckham survives the cut on Saturday, fans and the media can amuse themselves by speculating whether Beckham will win his 100th cap as a proud member of the starting line-up, perhaps even as captain, or in a late cameo role that could mark his farewell.

At least that will get it all over with. Whether Beckham deserves to bring up his century or not — and please let us know what you think about it in the comments — we’ve seen enough of him over the years to be pretty sure he’s not going to be the man to inspire England to World Cup glory in 2010.

Looking ahead to South Africa is obviously all England can do after inexplicably failing to reach Euro 2008. So with an eye on the future, Capello has also recalled 19-year-old Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, Middlesbrough defender David Wheater and Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe, while picking Gabriel Agbonlahor again after he was forced to pull out against Switzerland because of injury.

If Wheater turns out to be real international material then great, but England have plenty of decent centre-backs. Where England have consistently failed is in finding creative midfielders who do not give the ball away when the team is under pressure, and forwards with the technique, pace and nerve to score regularly against the best.

I suppose Capello did what he could by bringing in Walcott, Defoe and Agbonlahor. But if that’s as exciting as it gets in terms of players for the future, I wonder if he might have done more good by dropping players who have been short of their best of late, as a wake-up call if nothing else.

An England squad without, say, Michael Owen, Peter Crouch or Wayne Rooney … that would have given us plenty to talk about.

PHOTO: A Los Angeles Galaxy fan sits with a sign during a exhibition match between the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas March 15, 2008. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi