Ash forces Barca to arrive early

BARCELONA brought forward their journey to London for the Champions League final by two days and left last night due to the potential disruption to flights caused by a cloud of Icelandic volcanic ash.

“Given the uncertainty caused by the ash from the Grimsvotn volcano, the FC Barcelona first team will travel to London today, Tuesday, at 2200 hours (2100 BST),” Barça said in a statement on their website.

Earlier, Barcelona’s players expressed a belief that Manchester United have improved since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid in 2009.

Ronaldo played his last game for United in the Champions League final in Rome – which Barça won 2-0 – before sealing an £80million switch to the Bernabeu. United ended up with only the Carling Cup in their first campaign following the Portugal forward’s exit, but this season has seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s side reclaim the Barclays Premier League title and progress to the final of the Champions League to face Barça on Saturday at Wembley.

“Their team isn’t as direct as before. They like to have the ball,” Barça midfielder Xavi said. “I don’t know if that’s because of Cristiano Ronaldo or not, but they move around as a unit now.”

Striker David Villa added: “Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure has liberated them. Many great players come and go and that has allowed them to remain at the top for so long.”

Wing-back Davi Alves reckons United’s threat is harder to nullify in the absence of the Portuguese. “This Manchester United team is much more unpredictable without Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. “They have formed a more balanced group and they are stronger than they were two years ago.”