Barcelona and Juventus will have meticulous plans, but football’s not a beast you can tame

In his weekly column, Diego Forlan goes through the thought process of a player before a cup final and notes that despite the best of preparations, tight margins at the top will leave you vulnerable.

A view of the Brandenbug Gate in Berlin, where the 2015 Champions League final will be contested between Juventus and Barcelona on Saturday. Odd Andersen / AFP / June 3, 2015

Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. He currently plays in Japan for Cerezo Osaka. Forlan’s column will be written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.

I’ve not played in a Uefa Champions League final, but I’ve played in some huge games in my career and know what the Barcelona and Juventus players will be going through now as they wait for the big match in Berlin tomorrow.

I played in Champions League semi-finals for Manchester United, against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002, and for Villarreal, against Arsenal in 2006; there was also the Europa League final in 2010 as well as the World Cup semi-final against the Netherlands in the same year.

I wasn’t nervous before these games. If nerves undo you then you’re unlikely to make it as a top footballer. I was anxious, though, and you need to find a way of controlling your emotions before a big match and not thinking about the excitement of the fans.

Javier Mascherano said on Tuesday that he and his teammates are not wrapped up in the euphoria surrounding Barca after securing both the Spanish league and cup. The players can control their emotions; you have to focus and keep calm.

The night before the game, I’d eat an evening meal with the team. We’d talk a little of the game ahead but it wouldn’t dominate conversation. The atmosphere was relaxed, it could be a story of a character we all knew who’d made the trip to support us from Uruguay, for instance, or results from other games.

You live in a bubble, you can be in a beautiful city like Cape Town, as we were when we faced the Netherlands, but you don’t get to see that city. You stay in a hotel, which is better if it’s out of the way and away from tourist attractions, but you can’t completely close out the outside world.

After dinner I’d go to my room. I shared with Diego Lugano, he wouldn’t be there as he preferred a late massage. Different players have different plans. Some would call their kids, others would play cards or lose themselves in music. The coach trusted you to do what you thought best.

I just wanted to be alone. First I’d call my family then turn my phone, television and internet access off, then try to read a book. Try.

Sometimes the words just don’t go in and you end up reading the same line again and again. In 2010, I was watching the TV series Criminal Minds. It took me to another world and I’d watch it until 1am. Then I’d have eight hours sleep, no more than that because then you struggle to take a nap before the game.

On match day we’d eat breakfast – I liked pineapples, fresh orange, toast and yogurt – then do some warms ups and stretches inside a function room of the hotel. Occasionally guests would go the wrong way and walk in on thirty men stretching.

Fans would usually be around in the hotel lobby but I preferred to keep a distance before the game. It was no problem if someone wanted an autograph or picture as I walked to the lift, but fans’ mindset is different before a game. I wanted to keep my brain as free from distractions as possible.

I’d then take a shower, join the team again for a light lunch, take a nap in my room, then have the pre-match meal, maybe spaghetti with oil on top and a little bit of cheese. If I take the chicken, then it will be grilled and never fried. The nutrition people say that you should have at least five portions of fruit or vegetables each day. I’d have at least 10.

The manager would then take the pre-match team talk, then we’d go back to our rooms, change into our suits and leave the hotel. That’s when we’d see the fans waiting to see us off and the adrenalin would kick in.

Maybe you’d see a family member or friend in the crowd, a face to remind you how much you wanted to win for the fans. Then you’re unleashed into the stadium and you go into match mode: concentrating, determined and confident that your preparation has been good.

Both Barcelona and Juventus players are familiar with these types of routines. The variables kick in when the game starts.

If everything goes to plan then Barca will win as they’re the better team, and they’ll know that, but football doesn’t go to plan and that’s why we love it.

Remember the 2006 Champions League final? Arsenal’s goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off after 18 minutes, yet his team still took the lead and defended it until 15 minutes from the end, when Barca finally wore them down and scored twice in five minutes. The margins can be small at the top level.

Then there’s post-match, a time to celebrate or reflect. I’d look on TV to see the reaction of fans, especially when playing for Uruguay. And now I’m a fan again, like I was when I was a teenager.

Watching the Copa America this summer will be unusual after so many years playing, but I can’t wait. But first, Saturday’s final.

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