Da Silva twins to play big part in the run-in?....

The Premier League's ridiculous fixture schedule, will as ever, do nothing to help United become the next winners of the Champions League. Thankfully, United did a thoroughly professional job on Schalke in midweek in the first-leg of the semi-final when winning comfortably with a well deserved two-nil victory over the Germans.

It's a good job that United already have one foot in the Champions League final, because either side of the second leg, the Reds travel to Arsenal on Sunday and the following weekend the league leaders face second placed Chelsea in what is likely to be a make or break game for the West London club. If United win on Sunday at Arsenal, then United could actually clinch an historic 19th league title against Chelsea the following weekend.

The dilemma facing Ferguson ahead of three truly massive games, is how best to juggle his resources. So far this season, with the odd exception, Ferguson has done a remarkable job and he's nearly always come up with the right team for the right opponents. The recent home game with Arsenal was a perfect example; the United manager started with the Da Silva twins in midfield - a decision which brought gasps of exasperation from some commentators, but in truth it was the obvious decision because the two young Brazilians are more suited to playing in midfield rather than the more restrictive position of fullback. Fabio scored the opening goal against Arsenal and the twins played a big part in United's second goal.

So the question for Fergie - and for that matter United fans too - is what can we expect in the remaining games of the season and of course everyone is talking about the prospect of United facing Barcelona at Wembley in the Champions League final.

Should United go on to reach Wembley, how will Ferguson try to combat Barca's free-flowing passing game? As we saw in midweek, the master tactician Jose Mourinho and his Real Madrid team were taken apart at the seams and once again it was "the Flea" aka Messi was the one who did the damage.

It goes without saying that few teams get the better of Barcelona; Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan did it in last season's Champions League semi-final by parking the proverbial bus on the line. However, United don't really know how to play defensively, it isn't the club's DNA. The 2010-2011 final could be a repeat of the 2009 final in which United lost two-nil. It could have been so different if United had taken advantage of their early dominance in the Rome final, but after Samuel Eto'o gave the Catalans' the lead United simply did not respond.

If United are stand any chance against Barcelona, then the Premier League leaders will have to match Guardiola's team in midfield - which is easier said that done. One thing is for certain, surely Paul Scholes will not be in the starting eleven because he no longer has the pace to live with the likes of Messi, Iniesta and Xavi; indeed few players are capable of matching the energy of the aforementioned trio.
If Ferguson wants to match the movement and energy of Barcelona in midfield then he could well turn to the Da Silva twins, both are mobile, both can tackle, pass, and shoot. The young Brazilians could in fact be the answer but will Ferguson make what many will say is a gamble and put his trust in these two exceptional young talents?
Watch this space, but don't be surprised if we see the Da Silva twins facing Arsenal on Sunday.