Reasons to be cheerful — part two

SO TONIGHT we will find out if Barcelona are as great as everyone says they are or if Manchester United are better than we think.

It’s hard to argue with the proposition that, if these two sides played to the limits of their respective abilities, it’s the Catalans who would emerge victorious — and by something rather more substantial than a nose. Or a nose sculpted by Michelangelo, at the very least. But, as in politics, so also in football — events, dear boy, have a way of undermining the most carefully thought-out analysis.

With just hours to go before the big kick-off, everyone has had their say by now, Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, the players and the pundits. But the diligent journalist, seeking the angle all the others have missed, always knows where to go for the last word — the old, reliable taxi driver. Hey, what do you think we mean when we talk about research?