The feathery touch of Barcelona left Manchester United bruised and beaten. It is as well that the victors’ good taste extended to winning by a modest margin. The holders were relieved of the European Cup and must take what comfort there is in the appreciation that there is no shame in being outclassed. They could barely engage with Pep Guardiola’s side, let alone menace them. Sir Alex Ferguson finds himself outdone by the rookie in the other dug-out but everyone else who has contended for prizes this season has suffered the same experience against Barcelona. The United manager, in the midst of dejection, has always known how to learn and regroup. It will be quite a conundrum, all the same, to decide what to do when Andrés Iniesta and Xavi are in the opposing midfield. United coped with them last season but Guardiola has brought a dynamism of mind and body that has hoisted Barcelona to another level. At times there was embarrassment for the losers. The substitute Paul Scholes, for instance, hurtled into one of his reckless two-footed tackles and ought to have been dismissed by the referee, Massimo Busacca, who settled for a caution. Perhaps he reckoned that…