Barcelona defeats Levante 2-1 in the Liga and Xavi stanp his name as a Legend in the history of the club. At Football Mood Twitter we shared our thoughts during the match. You can always go there and check, if you missed it. I will just re-post my final 10 remarks about the match:
1)Pedro is(understandably)more reliable than Villa as CF in Pep eyes.
2)Pep subs decisions were so&so.
3)Thiago better than Cesc.
4)Xavi deserve 549more games in his records.
5)Iniesta shooting from distance more often,Hallelujah.
6)Milito will leave this summer
7) #Barca's need for another forward was bold and obvious once again.
8)I wish if Pep give as many chances for Vazquez as Bojan
9)Will marca publish a headline about #RealMadrid 8-0 against Levante compared to this one,proving #Barca lacks RM quality?
10)Next is the Copa against Athletic.Messi will be there,hungry for a new feast.And Afellay will be available as well.
And here we have the goals of the match:
Barcelona’s defeat against Hercules in the liga is not the end of the world. It happens. Yet, we will try to use this defeat to direct the spotlights on the pattern that seems to cause defeats for Barcelona every once and while. In this post we will discuss:
1) Football Patterns
2) The game itself: Barcelona - Hercules
Football Patterns, The underrated X-Factor:
Hercules did it! The team coming from Liga Adelante defeated the Liga BBVA’s Champions between their own fans and on their drastic field. Surprise? No doubt. Yet, the surprise is not the way Barcelona lost, but when and against whom. The way Barcelona lost is not just predictable, it’s a given for anyone who followed this team enough to already memorize Barcelona’s guideline leading to defeats. Mind you, I pointed it out when the club won all titles available (and understandably my concerns found no ears), and repeated it not only every time the team lost, but even when the team won by defeating their own weaknesses rather than the opponents. Was it last week?
That’s why I am more interested in the pattern than the result. The system rather than the players employed. In football you do not win all the time. In football there is no logic that decides who scores and who concedes. So let’s not read too much in this game’s result. If the two teams play the game again, the result will differ but the pattern will be there. It has been there since before and Barcelona lost lot of games falling in that exact pattern. This season it will be more challenging though, and this defeat may end up being the best thing for the coaching staff to reconsider lot of factors feeding this pattern; Factors that were buried under denial by praising victories when the team wins and accusing one player here or there when the team loses.
See…Football is not nanotechnology. Really. It’s much easier than that. Football clubs do not change dramatically from one game to another. We all follow football experts analyzing teams on TV or writing on football websites of international recognition. You can see how their analysis changes from praising before the game, to criticizing between the two halves to hailing at the end of the match based on the result. Whenever you hear someone creating a new story for every goal or every result, stop taking them seriously. One of the reasons I don't like writing match reviews as after few games you end up struggling to be creative enough so you avoid being repetitive.
I understand that “insightful” stories about how this fullback coughed before the game leading his team to score a goal in the second half adds more excitement to the scenery. It makes the analysis catchier and the analyst sounds smarter. But football is a bit more redundant than that, when it comes to overall performance leading to the conditional incidents that cause a goal here or an opportunity there. The deciding factors are structural aspects embedded more than coincidental moments caused.
What’s good about Barcelona is that they have a well-identified system. For clubs passing through transition periods, you can spot weaknesses one week and notice the attempts to fix it the following week. The club may change tactics, selections, and strategies trying to break an unsatisfying momentum. In such cases, more effort is needed to clarify patterns that change according to players selected and tactics applied.
That’s not the case for Barcelona. The team is playing based on a specific method since a long time. The Key players are there and the philosophy is stable. In that case, it is easier to identify the football pattern generated by the team and identify its weaknesses and strength. That’s good news for the club technical department because the improvement roadmap is more obvious. Yet, it is also good news for the opponents because they will be aware of what to expect, the threats and the opportunities. In that, it is a race between the two.
Through discussing the game against Hercules I will point out the pattern leading to Barcelona’s troubles (Underlined italic phrases are the briefings). Those who read my previous articles can tell how consistent I am when it comes to my believes regarding Barcelona's system positives and negatives, regardless of the team performance in the past two years.
Barcelona Vs Hercules
The moment the game ended, there were lots of arguments about the reasons why Barcelona lost.
Before Kickoff whistle, the selection:
Valdes, Adriano, Pique, Abidal, Maxwell, Mascherano, Keita, Iniesta, Messi, Krkic and Villa
If we all agree that we lost because we didn’t start the best lineup then case closed. Well…Put me on the list of the people who do NOT agree on that.
First of all, Barcelona only –barely- missed three starters to complete that selection. So it’s not that we played a weak lineup. Aside of the selection and the three “starters” Barcelona benched, the rest of the squad members are not qualified enough to strengthen that selection. If Barcelona can’t defeat Hercules at home using this selection of over-average (almost complete) quality, then they need to lower their season’s objectives to competing for a Euro cup spot in the Liga. Seriously.
Secondly, if we forget the result for a moment and evaluate the performance of the first half, the selection proved that it was right-taking options available in consideration. Defensively, the opponents didn’t threaten Valdes that much (Goal from set pieces). Having Puyol and Alves wouldn’t have added much, nor having Busquets (especially that Mascherano was a key performer in the first half and I doubt Busquets could have done things any better). Maybe they could have prevented the goal conceded, but the magical words here are “maybe…could have”. And maybe the team would have conceded other goals in a different way. It happened before. So if we talk about defense stability –in the first half- the selection was solid.
This selection did well during buildup and shuffled the lines forward generating threat in the offense third. So there is no reason to doubt the performance in the midfield. Possession was fine and there was enough directness that the ball moved forward even more than it usually does. As for the offense, we used three of the four players we have for that department. In that case, none of the four is considered a secondary option (They are too few for being first options). So it is safe to say our offense line was all starters – again, considering options available.
What would have Xavi added to that selection? Add more possession? So? Forced the ball forward to the offense third? It was happening already. Shooting from outside the box or running into the area jumping over everyone before heading the crosses to the net then flip in the air three times? Xavi? Hm…ok, that’s convincing. If we think about what the team needed to beat Hercules in the first half, it’s unlikely that we find Xavi’s name in the list of the survivors.
As I always say, when a team loses, the players who were not available are usually labeled as the men of the match –missed. Being a better player doesn’t mean that you can solve all the problems. Sometimes things get a bit more thrilling.
What is more significant is that the game was actually lost in the second half, not the first. And I will come back to that later. Barcelona’s performance was more catastrophic after calling Xavi and Pedro to the rescue, instead of Bojan and a “sub”. And before any assumptions, the opponent in the second half played an identical approach to the first half. In fact, teams are usually more fragile in the second half against Barcelona. So there is no argument there.
In fact, if I want to pick something against the selection, I will repeat something I mentioned last season: Keep your cards close to your chest by having a game changer on the bench. Last season when Messi passed through a bad period of Fatigue and lack of form I demanded that in some games it is better to keep him on the bench and use someone else –even Jeffren- in the first half to exhaust the opponent then bring Messi in the second half to do his magic. In my game preview I kept Messi on the bench for that reason. That brings me to one of the Pattern’s features: Miscalculating players’ readiness/urgency especially after long breaks, international games, or Squad depth temporary crises. Review past seasons and you will see that feature boldly.
Game kickoff, what went wrong in the first half?
In the first half, there was no problem with defense and midfield. The problem was the offense setup. We played exactly the same as last season but with one player less (Bojan took one of the offense places but didn’t use it).
One of the Pattern features is the lack of threat inside the box when the team moves forward. Now imagine your nine being out of the line. Who was supposed to score in the first half with Villa playing on the left and Messi running all over the place while Bojan being the fox in the box? Pique created more threat in the box that the three forwards in the first half. Is there anything more to prove a point?
Defense and midfield did –relatively- a decent job in the first half but offense wise the team was fruitless. It doesn’t matter if you switch Bojan and Villa positions as 1) They are identical. 2) They were both playing position-free anyway.
One more point about Mascherano. First, I think the card was harsh if you take in consideration that both players were grabbing each other. The foul where there was a call for another call was tactical. But it was completely fitting to the guidelines of black magic defense book. It deserves no card but almost, as he kept his body in contact with the opponent forcing him to lose balance without actually fouling him. That’s just a detail for the record. What impressed me most is that he was completely aware of his responsibilities on the field even though it was the first game. Watch that first half again and keep an eye on his movement with respect to his teammates, especially the defenders. One of the reasons for Pique’s presence in the opponent box more often was Mascherano’s presence that made Pique feels secured to delay his transition without leaving lot of defensive mess behind.
The second half: The right mistakes and the game was lost
The team entered the dressing room one goal behind. If you watch the first half again, they didn’t perform impressively but it was safe to say they didn’t deserve to lose (draw was fair). Pep made two changes directly: Mascherano and Bojan out, Xavi and Pedro in.
I may understand taking Mascherano out as he had a yellow card and for a player who defend with pride “you can only score on my dead body!” it was probably a safe call. Bojan sub is no brainer. I feel for the boy. He was promoted early to the first team which hammered his development. And now he is the nine of Barcelona. Let’s stop for a moment and think about it. Let’s think about who were Barcelona’s nines through the history of the club to understand Bojan’s problem. That was too early. TOO early! I really hope he makes a legendary miraculous improvement, because that’s what he needs to rescue his career.
Mascherano and Bojan out is an ok decision, but Xavi and Pedro in was a mistake. That sub generated two additional features from the defeating pattern:
Two offense oriented fullbacks with one holding midfielder
For the thousand times I write this, you can’t use two offense oriented fullbacks with one holding midfielder in front of them. The second half was defensively catastrophic but it’s not just because Abidal played instead of Puyol. Last season with Puyol and Pique as Center backs the team had problems almost every time Alves and Maxwell were used together with a holding midfielder in front. It is true that Mascherano was the only pure holding midfielder in the first half, but 1) That’s Mascherano. If there is any player who can do it, that’s him. 2) Keita was there to help him where needed. 3) In the second half we didn’t even have a holding midfielder but a Keita. That’s not counted. In fact this point was one of two points reminded me of the game between Spain and Switzerland. Remember wehat happened when Busquets was subbed out, leaving Xabi as a holding midfielder. Del bouquet didn’t dare to do it again after that match.
Terminated any chance for any threat inside the opponent box A.K.A fruitless toothless possession
To score a goal, the team can rely on moments of individual brilliance leading to a pass in the space or dribbling the ball to the net. But when there are no spaces and the offense become static, there is a need for long shots and crosses into the box. That’s the alphabetic of offense. After the first half, it was obvious that the team lack presence in the box and the opponent is well organized and may not offer any spaces.
By moving Keita to the holding midfielder position, Barcelona terminated the offense contribution of the only midfielder in the selection who can run to the box or take long shots. From there on, Hercules only concern was making sure to implement zonal marking by crowding players in the center to close spaces in front of their keeper. Defending the flanks became secondary as there is no big concern if Adriano and Maxwell cross. Their defense avoided being stretched to the flanks and the Lack of long shots helped Hercules defense to keep on defending deep.
Everyone doing everything=no one doing the special things
In a previous article, I pointed out the reasons why the offense didn’t click well last season. I will not repeat it here but I can’t stress enough on the need to distribute the players well behind, along with, and in front of the ball. During buildup, when Messi over-contribute in the buildup and keep demanding secured safe passes in the midfield rather than moving forward to accompany Villa the forward will get isolated and the offense will not work.
One of the reasons why Henry-Eto’o-Messi combination clicked perfectly was that the three players were always demanding the ball in the offense department. Even When Iniesta played on the flank Messi and Eto’o slicing through the opponent defense shuffled the lines up fast and deadly. What happened last season was –as Pep mentioned- Messi was given more freedom to move deep so he receives the ball more often and Henry dropped dead leaving Ibra who is originally a player who like to link with the midfield as well. The outcome was an offense line playing in the midfield. The offense lacked the acceleration needed to catch the opponents’ defense by surprise. Of course, Ibra was blamed. Now I can see Villa being the following victim.
Even a striker who masters playing in the liga need time to adapt (and get adapted to) in a new team. Worry not, unlike Ibra, Villa is already a member in the old guards’ brotherhood of Barcelona’s squad. He will most likely get enough support to click-quick. It is a useless argument now to discuss if Villa can play in the center or not. There is no choice, right? I believe he can do great there in some matches while he will struggle some other times. To make his life easier there is a need to make sure he is not isolated in front (Messi need to stay close to him). Midfield Keita-like support in the box will be vital as well.
It goes without saying that I still believe he is better doing Henry's job than Ibra's. Thats why I wanted Barcelona to get Ibra in the first place and thats why I was excited about Villa-Ibra-Messi offense for this season.
Pep should have considered using Busquets in the second half instead of Mascherano and Xavi instead of Bojan, then moving Iniesta to play in the midfield beside Xavi while giving orders to Messi and Villa to shuffle the lines forward instead of dropping deep. Keita should have played in front of Xavi-Iniesta and not behind them so he can run into the box more often creating the normal chaos he cause there and either getting advantage of the wasted crosses or catching the center backs attention so that Messi and Villa can take advantage of the holes created.
I didn't only remember the first game for Spain in the world cup while watching Barcelona against Hercules, but I also remembered the preview of world cup semi final between Germany and Spain and the reasons I had to pick Torres in the starting lineup, regardless of his form. Villa needs a Torres, or a prerequisite support coming from the midfield. Point taken.
During the summer, I made a remark that if Barcelona sells Ibrahimovic, Pep may end up using either Pique or Busquets as a striker. That was half a joke, half a belief. It is not a coincidence that even in the second half Pique was the most dangerous player for Barcelona. I was even hopeful that after the second goal, Pep will move him permanently to camp in the box after bringing another Center back to cover his position. It will take lot of courage –and craziness- for Pep to try an odd option making my joke true. But what’s more certain is that there is a need to keep one of the big bulls close to the box all the time, or at least when things get complicated.
This team can win big things counting of the quality of the individuals. It worked before. Yet, you can put a higher bet if the team creates a powerful system that matches the brilliance of the players available. Time for Pep to do a pep magic, as well as he does Pep talks.
After reporting the performance of the first half selection against Valerenga, we continue with the second half.
Selection:
Mino-Dalmau - Armando - Muniesa – Adriano-Keita-Sergi Roberto - Edu Oriol-Benja –Nolito-Ibra
Mino: Quality talent. He didn’t do impressive stuff but his commanding and Agility showed that he is on the right track.
Dalmau: A player with reasonable potentials. But he had to deal with the most dangerous player for the Norwegians. Good going forward. He will have to challenge Montoya for a chance to be the future of Barca’s fullback. An interesting battle to keep an eye on.
Armando-Muniesa: It’s not easy for two youth like them to be left alone, playing against more experienced team that’s in its form. They did fine though both still need time to be considered reliable for the big stage. I believe one more year playing in the second division can do miracles, especially for Muniesa.
Adriano: Alves’s left-side-clone is ready. You can see it clearly. He is relaxed with his role and he is showing what he will offer. Too early, but you can predict the thesis quality from the headings. And he is quality.
Keita: Respect. To serve as a water carrier in the presence of the big names is something, to do so even when you are the big name in the selection is exceptional. Deserved the captain badge.
Sergi Roberto - Edu Oriol- Benja- Nolito: Obviously talented and still need time to be listed on the promotion’s queue. Yet Sergi Roberto (and maybe Oriol) can expect some copa appearances.
Ibra: Watched him while thinking how it will be if the two players moving in front of him are Villa and Messi. Playing in the space and delivering passes to the forwards is something he masters for sure, even if in this game he wasn’t as sharp as he will after he is back in shape. Last season I pointed out that one of the factors that complicates Ibra’s presence in the selection was that everyone was sinking deep to contribute in the buildup while he like to have players demanding the ball in front. At least, We know that Villa will be there next season.
Nice warm up. The team will be heading east for couple of games. The Squad traveling will miss Bojan and Jeffren who were called for international friendly (Under 21). But Fontas, Alves, Messi and…HLEB!!! will be there. I can’t put lot of hopes that Hleb will win back Pep’s trust, I just can hope he does. At least to contribute for one more season. Maybe he will perform well and we will not need to beg teams to buy him for a price of a corner flag.
Marquez left...Respect for our Mexican Kaiser! Make no mistake, we will have a post dedicated for one of the knights of Barcelona’s golden era.
In a bad rainy weather, Barcelona played their first preseason match against the Norwegian club, Valerenga. It was more a preseason match for Barcelona B strengthened by handful first team player than it was the other way. Obviously it is not possible to read a lot in this match, but there were lot of good signs. Playing the youth team - without some of our best youth who have a final to play against France. Playing against a team that is in its peak form, now that their league is almost midway. A team that will represent Norway in the European cup this season. Still, Barca players succeeded to promote the image of the club perfectly.
First half lineup:
Pinto-Ilie - Sergi Gomez - Milito – Maxwell-Victor Sanchez- Jonathan dos Santos -Marti Riverola -Jonathan Soriano- Tello- Bojan
The worst thing about the first half was Pinto’s Higuita moment. I like his attitude in the dressing room. I like what he offered the club so far. But his kind of habits makes me wonder how reliable he is as a backup keeper incase Valdes was not available for some games. If this was the first time he does it we could argue that it’s just a friendly and he want to have some fun (though it’s not acceptable anyway). But he did that before. Unless if he is trying to convince Pep that we need no more midfielders as he can do the Xavi, I am not sure what he was trying to prove. You can do that while playing in the backyard with some kids Not at Barcelona.
Milito and Maxwell were good - keeping in mind that it’s the first preseason game. Milito was a bit too adventurous though while trying to shuffle the lines forward. He is an excellent defender on the ball, but the balance is needed between the crucial job-defense- and advanced roles like contributing in the buildup. With the big boys in the selection I see him tuning his performance per se. Still, it’s nice to see him starting a preseason with the club. Let’s hope the worst is behind us. Maxwell goal was well taken. Another demonstration that he should be considered as a serious option for the midfield to create depth. He did well last season, and he still can do better.
Ilie had to deal with the opponent’s best player and it wasn’t easy for him. But he was fine going forward and he has decent passing skills.
In the midfield, the most interesting detail was JDS’s position. We thought he will play in front of Victor Sanchez but he played more as a deep lying midfielder and this boy does not disappoint. He was doing the anonymous job that took Xavi 10 years till he received the praise he deserves, so JDS can’t complain if his work left unnoticed. In this match, I was mostly impressed by his performance to be honest. While the other kids showed lot of potentials he demonstrated more maturity and tactical awareness doing his job almost effortlessly. He knew when to do the “looks easy” job running the show while in the shadow. He knew when to take responsibilities blasting long shots from the edge of the box. He knew how deep to move or how far to advance reading the match’s script and always being one step ahead. Tackling, marking, covering, and everything you need from a player who is looking forward for a chance on the big stage.
I made this sample that shows the JDS “looks easy” job and its impact on the team’s performance:
Maybe, Thiago is one step or two closer to first team paradise, but this guy is also up there. Unless if we decided to throw 50 M or so to finance Arsenal's budget.
Victor Sanchez is still that same utility player we knew when he first tried his luck with the first team. He scored a beautiful goal that showed the kind of skills you don’t usually expect from a player of his type. I am still not sure if he is good enough to keep. The good thing about him is that he can do so many things. The bad thing about him is that he is not exceptional in anything specific. At least till now. It’s always a bless to have this kind of players but it’s also a big sacrifice to offer him the seat and playing time you can offer to other younger and more talented players you have in the basket. Not an easy decision to make, and most probably it will depend on the final squad we structure for next season after the main transfers (the ins and outs) mature.
Bojan –the captain- was his old self without the form that you can’t demand from the first preseason match. He showed the signs of “a veteran” while linking with the rest of the youth and he was willing to take responsibilities. He wasn’t sharp enough nor did he have the “it” to cause serious damage. But again, this is the first preseason game. He had a good run of play and it was more like an intensive training session.
Marti Riverola, Jonathan Soriano and Tello delivered the type of performance you expect from B-teamers, though it was obvious that Soriano is the one with the best potentials and Marti is the Marti exciting to watch.
Enjoy it the way it comes, or read this!
Welcome to football club of Barcelona. I am not sure if we will qualify to the final of the Champions league or not. The only certain thing is that this loss against Inter will bring back a taste I missed for many years, now that I’ve been a Barcelona fan since 15 years or so. See…Supporting Barcelona is not an output of high expectations but a sort of excitement the gambler feels when he places a bet. I am not a gambler myself, but I know some people who are. They can tell you about the joy they get from the sour taste of defeat. It bring them a wilder desire to place higher bets and to come back again, moments after leaving with a frustrated angry decision that they will not do it anymore. With time, they learn to neglect that frustration flu, they just keep on raising their bets. Sometimes lead by reasonable calculations, but most of the time for the passion behind it. Whether it ends up being a bad day or a good day, it doesn’t matter. The pleasure is in the adventure, not in the output. Anyone who reaches that level of psychological defect, complete the evolutionary process of becoming a Barcelona fan.Why am I starting from there? No, it’s not the repetitive anthem of:”Support your team in ups and downs” let’s avoid the “showing up” carnival about true fans Vs so-and-so supporters that I read about, since the final whistle. Anyone who sits and watches a Barca game serves the club a favor (at least by increasing the number of viewers so the TV channels make sure to broadcast the games more often). It’s more about the nature of this club, the method of play, and the consequences. Based on all that, we can evaluate the performance at any time. The question:”Was it possible to get a better result against Inter?” is not valid, if you take this one game and analyze. The suitable question (in my Opinion, as I am not lecturing here) is: “Was it possible to do better considering the football criteria we set and expect?”. The difference? Simple: I am more than certain that playing a 4-3-2-1 With Busquets-Yaya-Keita in front of our defense with Pedro and Messi behind Ibra would have brought a better result (notice: you don’t even need Xavi). Don’t bother putting high pressure and running for 99.99% possession. Bring Inter players out of their own half (if they didn’t move you get a draw, at least) and hit them by counters generated through your two fullbacks (Alves and Maxwell, with Yaya moving back as a third CB) Supported –from a deep position of course- by Keita and Busquets, and lead by Messi and Pedro with Ibra leading the offense the way he used to do –SUCCESSFULLY- when he played for Inter. Piece of cake. Squads with barely half the quality of ours do it and win titles. In fact, we could have won the liga already if we were a less “Naïve” football club, or let’s say less romantic when it comes to our game approach. We don’t bargain to hand 10 % of our possession and offense drive to the opponent even if we get the three points in return. Stupid? Unpractical? Suicidal? Blablatata…whatever? Yes. But that’s the way we do it. That’s the special thing about this team. Not being better. Not being worse. Just being…different.
That’s exactly why I jumped to defend Pep Guardiola after the game. People are bringing up some secondary reasons to explain the defeat. This player started, that player was benched, this sub, that pass, this tackle… In fact nothing would have guaranteed this game regardless of who starts (Aside of Iniesta may be) as long as we play the same way we played last season where Pep was praised because he won titles. If you want this squad to secure more titles sack Pep, hire Benitez (without giving him the right to buy any players!). “But we won last season!” I can hear you. Dude, I didn’t say “failure is your destiny, live in disgrace”. I said the possibilities of underachieving when you play this football style are higher than ending up on the victorious thrown. Fact.
That’s why –And here we get to the point- last season I was the most critical fan when it comes to Pep’s game approach. I praised him for fixing the bugs I was criticizing during Rijkaard’s days (Even when we won titles). But there were still some issues that need to be tuned. Was I demanding a Benitez style? Get outta here! I simply demanded an upgraded total football that matches the demands of modern game. Giving credit where due, Pep walked a long distance in that direction, but still there are urgent requirements that will keep us fragile if we do not fix. We can win against Inter in the second leg the way we play. We can win the CL and the Liga. But it’s not because we are systematically undefeatable, it’s because we have such an uncontainable squad (Unless if: Later). That was the situation last season. That was the case during the Ronaldinho era. In fact, that was the case even during Cruyff era. If we don’t paint a clear idea about our system with its pros and coins, we can’t analyze any game properly, whether we praise a win or criticize a defeat.
In order not to make a hindsight analysis after being a bit critical about it in the last post, Let me refer back to the Issues I tackled last season the way I pointed it in previous posts I wrote since Pep was hired. Re-reading it now may bring a different evaluation. Simplifying the situation as:”Last season we were great” while this season we screwed ourselves may sound bit too harsh. This obviously means that the new signings are the reason of all troubles. In fact we were not better last season, it’s just the opponents are more experienced to deal with this team now. Let me be a bit harsh and point out one significant difference between the two seasons in the Champions league, for example: The Referee this season in the away game of the semi final was less friendly with us than last season. It doesn’t mean that we had no quality back then (we had the best quality, no doubt). But we were as fragile as we are now as well. Lets refresh the memory about last season, Then we take the game against Inter this season as a demonstration.
Talking about semi finals of Champions league. If you want to have a better idea why we lost against Inter, check my article before our game against Chelsea last season. But I will paste some parts that may sound interesting at the moment:
Defensively:
Lets be honest, we are not fresh enough for a transition battle back and forth. We need to break down the transition distance between players, rather than forcing them all to run all the way.
The Anvil and the Hammers:
This was a subject for the article I planned as a follow up to the Previous article "Barcelona: System Analysis". But there is no way to avoid clinching it here while discussing the game against Chelsea, so let it be.
We play high pressure to defend. This way we stay closer to the Opponent area all the time, and we keep the opponent in their own half rather than moving to ours. This system has its advantages, and we all know it. Yet, it has lot of disadvantages. It is exhausting, and demand running all over the place all the time. It requires lot of transition if the opponent succeeded to overcome the initial pressure and generated counter attacks through the spaces we leave behind. Linking the two disadvantages together lead to conclude: It is exhausting, while to work perfectly it requires fresh legs. This is why Barcelona is more fragile while dealing with fatigue issues. And that’s why the intensity of games has more impact on Barcelona form than it affects any other team.
So what about applying a Catenacio but in the opponents' half, while executing our pressure on ball holder upfront? It decrease calories burning, close spaces and gaps the opponent may use to generate counter attacks, and still keep you close to the opponent net so when you win back the ball you can move the ball to opponent box in five seconds. I believe there is a possibility to upgrade the Barcelona style by adding some Italian methods. Creating something…"Barcetalia".
Let's demonstrate this through the Game against Chelsea merging that Barcetalia methodology with Chelsea game specific demands:
The moment we lose the ball, the two players closer to Yaya on the flanks drop back creating a line in front of our defense in the midfield, while the other four players keep doing our high pressure strategy on the ball holder and his closest outlets. Now the new line positioning depends on the team you play against, the higher it goes the more it squeeze opponent, though a balance need to be made between squeezing the opponent and keeping the ways to our own half sealed.
It is important for the following reasons:
1) Close any path for counter attacks Chelsea may generate.
2) Will Put another line to win back the ball in front of our defense incase initial ball pressure failed. It will keep Chelsea ball far from our box, and doing so we don’t only prevent them from scoring through counters, but also decrease the number of corners and Free kicks on the edge of our box. I believe that’s the best way to avoid Chelsea threat in set pieces, making sure they don’t have it at all. This line can play the ball out to the touch line, or even do some tactical fouls to stop the ball in the midfield. Chelsea are planning this for us, let's do the same, if needed.
3) This way our pressure on the ball holder will be more fruitful. It may sound that having a trio of Alves-Yaya-Xavi positioned behind four players doing the pressure, takes more time to win back the ball than Yaya behind six players hunting for the ball, not true. Here is a question for you: What is the best plan to catch a Rabbet? Running after it in an open field, or squeezing it in the corner? How many men you need to achieve the mission in each of the two cases? That’s the core idea here. Squeeze the opponent between the anvil of the well positioned trio and the hammers of those who are applying the pressure.
4) When you have Only a Yaya behind the six players doing the pressure not only you leave spaces in your midfield and expose the defense, but you even create an incentive for the opponent to counter attack, simply because that’s the only space they find to run out of pressure. Having a positioned midfield trio close any space. It makes the helpless opponent clear the ball with no sense just to get some air, rather than building up a counter attack. Had anyone noticed that the teams we play against rarely clear the ball nonsensely(Compared to the level of pressure we apply)? There is a reason for that, something like having a better option, or open outlets to pass the ball to, mostly behind our high defense line.
5) This line will keep players like Messi, Iniesta, Henry and Eto'o closer to the opposition area all the time. Instead of running back to our own half when the initial pressure fails, they will have a line behind them to pick the unaccomplished mission and make sure it is done.
6) This way, for Chelsea to score goals, not only they need to beat the initial pressure and run to the box to battle with defenders. They have an additional solid line to deal with. And that line may cut the communication with Drogba and anyone upfront.
7) Tactical wise, I believe the way Barcelona opponents usually attack require more a Right/left defensive midfielders than fullbacks. The opponents usually use humble number of players offensively and count on counters; they rarely hug lines while approaching Barcelona half. They approach barcelona half and cut inside. Its better to bury the opponent attack in the midfield before it go further, because the deeper it survive the more it get directed straight toward the box.
The Three Defensive Layers
(Click to enlarge)
At Barcelona the defense is mainly the job of the players who attack the opponent territory (....)The role of the defensive midfielder (Call him Yaya) is to create cover, and the role of the three defenders left behind is to create depth.
It’s a kind of win-win deal between defense and offense. Defenders agree to take the risk of guarding a wide sector of the field without sufficient number of players, which save more players for the offense section of the pitch….Offense in return pay for that by applying high pressure in the opponent's half, winning the ball as fast as possible, increasing possession time…
The Dangerous Compromise Between Defense and Offense
When the Pressure on the ball drops by 15 %, it doesn’t demand 15% more effort from the defenders to cover that declination. It actually leads the whole system to collapse. Because the defenders role then switch from creating depth and Freezing the opponent’s last man standing upfront, to become a mission impossible of standing and facing a counter attacking tsunami, to mark, tackle, cover, with continuous re-positioning and pressure. And still falling under the obligation of building up the game from behind with accurate passes, Nonsense clearance is a crime in Barcelona. That’s too much for a defensive trio, right? This is not something we train our defenders to do. This is not something we like. And it's not something Defenders of any team can handle.
If we agree on that, then we know that the periods when the team face a drop in form, we need to evaluate the whole team defensive contribution (and specially those who are upfront), before looking for the scapegoat who made the last mistake before the goal. More pressure upfront means fewer counters, leading to less catastrophic mistakes. That’s the magic of probabilities.
Our offense and defense performance is interrelated. The systems we play say it, and the records approve.
Then I wrote a three parts series about Barcelona’s champions league chances Last season: Roads Leading to Rome: Part One, Part Two, and Part three). I introduced the series as follows:
Barcelona Won the Champions league two times. And for a club of Barcelona standards, let’s admit it, that’s not the best thing to be proud of. We can find fair excuses for the lack of titles in the old days. Yet, even in the modern era our Champions league records were not that impressive, at least compared to Milan, Liverpool, or Juventus.
Why is it happening? When I look back in history it seems that we won every time we had a “too good” squad to lose, not a squad that is “Good enough” to win. If that’s true, then we are traditionally over dependent on individuals’ potentials (plural) rather than the systematic potentials of the group=team. Is it a chronicle defect in our system and football methodology? Is it that difficult to Liquefy individual talents in a system? Is it only a bad luck? That’s a very controversial issue to discuss….
And while the second part was a bit more theoretical, the third part explained some of what we lacked against Inter last week:
… things Barcelona needs to improve to enhance champions' league hopes.
We didn’t solve the “Counters' Blind Tunnel” we create when we move forward.
Thats a defect in our system: when we move forward, we create a three central backs line, one defensive midfielder, while the rest of players move to serve the offense operations in and around the box. The first clear return of this structure is the space created between our midfielders on the edge of the box and our defenders stepping on the midfield line. That’s more than (30m X 68 m) area where we only have one player – defensive midfielder- to cover. If the defensive midfielder moved closer to the offense operation lines, he will be able to gain the middle range opponent clearance. Yet, a long range clearance may catch the defensive midfielder out of position.
The Vacuum Tunnel
CASE STUDY:
As a living scenario, I will pick Man Utd (the current champions of the world), and imagine their coach playing a 4-3-2-1 at the Nou Camp. Four defenders plus three Defensive-midfielder-like players to create the defensive Bus, with the trio Tevez-Ronaldo-and Rooney rotating for the three other roles (yes I dropped Berbatov). Giving the instructions for Ronaldo to run through Alves Territory, and instructing Rooney or Tevez to stay close to Barcelona deepest defender while the third player with his high work rate bark for any cleared ball, racing the wind for it. The first result is the insecure feeling Barcelona will get when Alves move forward while Ronaldo positions himself on the right. We cant afford losing Alves in the offense operations, so one central defender will have to move wide to cover the right flank. One marker without support will not be enough so: either our defensive midfielder take Ronaldo in the midfield- unlikely because it leaves the field empty, or the other Defenders will be forced to create depth in case Ronaldo passed the fake right back. Moving the backline deeper will enlarge the space between backline and the rest of the team, while keeping them on the midfield line means getting beaten by the Man Utd trio pace in the counter. With the absence of sufficient cover infront of our defense, the opponent counters will be too fast for the midfielders transition to take place. Result? Man Utd defense clear the ball to the empty space mentioned above, a Man utd player receives it and plays it to the other empty space between our defense and Goalkeeper, then a race between Pique-Marquez and Ronaldo-Rooney/Tevez for the ball.
(...)we need to approach the champions’ league knock out stages as it needs, not as we succeeded to do in the liga. May be considering two defensive midfielders as a must for any tactical structure we apply in the Champions’ league will be a good start. At least after we pass Lyon. Last season, I was calling for a three players in the back when the team move forward instead of giving the two backwards the instructions to attack. It is happening this season when needed, we have more balance in the team this way and I like it! Now my new call is to have two defensive midfielders in front of our back when we play out of home in the Champions'. Let a combination of five players from the panel of Messi, Alves, Xavi, Iniesta, Gudjhonsen, Hleb, Bojan, Eto’o and Henry move forward squeezing the opponent box with no concerns. Noting that having two defensive midfielders is not less lethal at offense than the system currently applied. I can assure you its even more productive and generate more scoring opportunities, because we Barcelona fans know it well: dominate the game, and then enjoy your victory.
The Two legs Approach:
When I question our system compatibility with the Champions' league needs, I do not mean its less powerful. But the Champions' league force you to install more elements in your Game management. For example, your approach to the first leg game away from home must take the following in consideration:
- If you will play the second leg at home. you don't need to be so obsessed to finish the opponent away. All what needed is to come back home with a result that will make your life easier.
- When you play abroad, time is on your side. No need to rush to crush! Let the opponent feel they are running out of time, they need to score or else! Then you will hunt the result you are seeking.
- Keep being loyal to Barcelona Philosophy about earning back the ball fast, and dominating possession. Scoring will come as an unavoidable outcome of dominating the opponents at their homes.
You need to make sure the opponent do not score early. Dominate the possession (pst!Control the midfield) . Then you get advantage of their need to score a goal opening spaces at the back and you generate fast counters. Our Classical tactics of 4-3-3 do not serve these objectives. It either win you the game or throw you out of the Champions' league. One of the recommended tactics goes as follow:
This is one sample of possession+Counters strategy. A 4-2-2-2 can also be another option, where Messi play on the free role around the striker, with two midfielders and two Defensive midfielders behind. What I like about the one represented above is that it pulls the opponent out of their area, or else their stadium fans will put more pressure on them to get a good home result. It creates more spaces in the opponent half. It will insure that you dominate the midfield, and the match in return. And with fast counters you can score at least once, while the opponent will find no spaces to generate counters. The star on the right top show where I believe most of the game will be played. I don't think we will have to go deep in our half that often. Barcelona players are well known for being able to earn back the ball fast, and With this structure it will get faster. The red Zone show the area where we are fragile when we use our classical 4-3-3 as shown in the last frame of the animation to compare. Instead of having one player to cover your back(classical approach), this way you will have two, and without damaging Barcelona offense power. you do not need More than Messi-Iniesta-Xavi-Alves-Eto'o/Henry combination to move forward and hunt goals when you play outside Catalonia.
Not only the team that lost against Inter was the same team (As a squad) that won the classico, but it’s even the same team that won everything last season. With the structural strength and systematic weaknesses. We switched a striker who has qualities and weaknesses with another striker who has different attributes we need more (but that’s another story that I don’t dare to tackle now that this post is XXL already). Pep is also the same coach, he did nothing worse against Inter than whatever he did in any game he coached before.
Against Lyon last season I pointed out that: ” When you are 1-1 in an away game, and it’s the last 5 minutes, and you are already satisfied with the result, and you have two more substitutions in hand, USE THEM! “ and that: “Barcelona style sucks lot of energy, no squad can give you enough fuel to keep playing that way all the time, you need to be more selective in the games, when to play attractive high pressure possession game and when to play more tactical and direct tactics. The Champions’ league is not a show business, it’s a Mission to make possible.” Then I want you to remember the following from Lyon game as well when you check the Figures below: “To go far in the CL we need to be able to slowdown the opponents counters, filling the space behind our offense operation Zone. Whenever we lose the ball the opponent counters seems to be so fast as if sucked through a Vacuum tunnel from the first edge (opponent box) to the other edge striking our defense. One Yaya to act as a tunnel cork is not enough, and when he join the party upfront then even that Tinny cork vanish.” Mind you, we were talking about a defense with only one offense obsessed fullback (Alves), not with two (Alves+Maxwell). So you can imagine. More? Against Atletico last season:
1) I didn’t understand how against a team having two dangerous strikers and two wings with pace we play Sylvinho and Alves and with only one defensive midfielder in front. I always mentioned the Vacuum tube between our Defense and offense where the opponent generate fast counter attacks. But at least we usually had 3 defenders to cover our back and the opponents were not Simao-Maxi-Kun and forlan. I didn’t understand how this was meant to work. I really like to know…
2) When it felt that our Players knees are not handling the fast tempo anymore, I thought we can play it the German way. Absorb the tempo, cool down the heat, and then hunt a goal. But we kept playing our own way attack, attack and then attack...and don’t look behind you while looking forward!
3) Two weeks ago, when we were still having the 12 points advantage, I said now its time for two Defensive midfielder to avoid exhausting transition and fast counters while we are passing through a heavy schedule. How come I was right?
And here is a very interesting note from that game as well (from the same article):
“Playing Henry and Eto'o as forwards with Messi behind was a great idea, But I couldn’t understand what was exactly Eto’o role? Inbox striker? Second striker? It just felt he was only closing the space Messi needed to penetrate to the box.” HA!!! Can you believe it?! And no one in the comments session even hesitated to agree on that remark regarding Eto’o. Well I suggest watching that game again before starting this:”Ibra swallows Messi” argument. Fair enough?
I end up with this notation from Barcelona (Total) Football club:
“That’s why, while planning offense, defense has to be in mind in an attempt to make the transition planning easier. And while deciding the best defense to apply, offense has to be in mind to make sure the team can bounce back to cause damage the moment you earn back the ball.”
As I mentioned before, every system has its own flops. We choosed to play this system and we praise the club when we win. Its important to keep in mind that this adventure can backfire any moment, and to realize the key factors for the defeats from within the system itself.The problem with some analysts is that they do not see the whole picture. In football, it’s important to browse the team dynamics as a whole before jumping to evaluate a specific department or weigh up individuals’ contribution. If the goalkeeper can serve as a libero or not makes a huge impact on defense line and defenders decision making. If the defense is not structured properly, the midfield will put more effort supporting defense than building up offense, Offense will not be efficient, and you will only face a collaborative chaos all over the field.
The reason why I do not criticize Pep anymore is the belief that –beside some little modifications here and there-this is how far he will go in modifying the tactics and game approach (take it or leave it). Or else, I will have to nag about each and every point I mentioned above after each and every game we play. Taking in consideration where he is coming from as a dedicated total football coach, he made some impressive changes to the original football methodology. I can’t think of any other coach who can do better. I can’t demand more during the short period he coached this team. It’s true that our total football still need modifications toward a more reliable attractive offense oriented performance. That’s easy to admit for someone who love it (Me), but more difficult for someone who live it (Pep). Regardless of the fact that it’s easier to say than to implement, especially when you have that number of games to play, leaving no time for you and your squad to practice tactical changes. What we need to consider, is something like:
- Using two pivots instead of one in the midfield so the players in front of them can shuffle the lines forward without being worried about deep build up responsibilities and the fullbacks –who are the most important players to contribute with offense in modern football- can move forward without compromising the defense stability. No doubt, the two holding midfielders are not static, but we are taking about the original structure, not the team dynamics.
- When the team loses the ball, there is a need to mix between positional defending and high pressure. As advanced on the field as possible (depending on the opponent’s structure). Some positional cover in the midfield is an unavoidable need. That’s an advanced zonal positioning that close spaces (“The Anvil” as mentioned above in the Barcetalia figure). It gives fewer outlets and spaces for the opponent to break through the pressure initiated by “the hammers” of the four players in front the Anvil line. Will that demand more movements from the hummers now that the team is employing less number of players for the pressure operation? Not if you take in consideration that the hammers 1) will make less exhausting transitions backward (as they are well covered) 2) They will apply the pressure in a smaller territory squeezed between the opponents box and the Anvil lined in an advanced position in the middle third. Besides, even now that we are applying pressure every way we can, there are always players in front who are useless for that process (being on the opposite flank of the possession battle?). Such players –instead of being unemployed- need to move back to contribute in constructing the Anvil line.
- While setting offense, and now that there is enough stability in the midfield, the total football concept of switching positions can take place now. The lines will be properly spread as the team will have players pending for the ball within four lines from defense to offense rather than forcing the skillful players to move deeper to contribute in the buildup operation away from the offense third. Players like Yaya, Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Iniesta, Pedro (four of the six) must be the players who contribute with the defenders in the deep buildup, moving the ball forward while Messi and Ibra need to operate in the offense third even during the buildup stage. Messi for example may switch sometimes with Pedro the same as Pique may run forward to the midfield when the midfielders lack passes outlets (one of the holding mids take his place in defense). In set offense, there will be a good combination of Pedro-Xavi-Alves behind Messi and Ibra to be fully dedicated to attack while having enough security behind them. To avoid static situations, two holding midfielders bring lot of unpredictable mobility on the table. The Left fullback will have no worries to make flashing runs forward (Even Pique can do it) now that there will be a player to cover (one of the holding mids). The holding midfielders will also synchronize their offense contribution (going forward) as needed.
That’s how I see it, which is more an opinion than a fact to be taken for granted. Till then, I have to evaluate Pep performance as a coach depending on the current system, not the wishful thinking.
Inter demonstration:
Every team has its counter. Every tactical system has its flops. In our case, we have troubles against teams with high work rate that can put pressure on our defenders and disturb build up, and teams with enough tanks to park and depend on counter attacking the landscapes we leave behind. There is no other team that can expose our systematic fragilities this season like Inter. Last season after the groups stages lot of fans were concerned about meeting Manchester United, Arsenal, an Italian team, etc…For me, there were only two teams to be worried about: Chelsea and Liverpool. This season after all the changes Inter made, they were the team to avoid (Beside Chelsea). Before the Arsenal game I mentioned that I am calm about it. They have the players to put high pressure, but their holding midfielders are fragile, so as their defense. Inter in return got the tanks needed in defense and midfield, the Italian sense of organized tactics, the Argentineans’ work rate, and the likes of Milito and Eto’o to complicate our defenders’ stability while in possession or while defending near the half line.
Based on the current system we play (One Holding midfielder, two midfielders) The starting lineup was:
Valdes, Alves, Puyol, Pique, Maxwell, Busquets, Xavi, Keita, Pedro, Messi, Ibra
Abidal was not ready to start. Personally, I would have preferred to start Milito over Maxwell. In fact I think it was better to start Milito as a third defender while having Maxwell instead of Keita. Three Center backs with one holding midfielder sounds more reliable for me –defensively- than Two center backs with one holding midfielder even if he is assisted by Keita (in principle, not practice in this game). Yet, the question is: Was Milito an option for this game? I mean, he is still not fully fit. He got a knock in the last game he played. Not sure if I can boldly say Pep was wrong not to start him. If Milito was not an option, then Maxwell or Marquez? Maxwell for me. Checked.
I already commented about Busquets starting this game. No doubt (for me) he was a must. Keita (before his injury) was one of our most consistent performers this season. Before the game I said that Busquets-Keita-Xavi is my automatic option but I am not sure about Keita’s form (and I demanded Busquets-Keita when I thought that Abidal will be able to start, which makes a big difference). After watching Keita in this game, and now this is hindsight, I admit that I feel a Yaya who can move to play as a third Center back when Maxwell and Alves move forward (with Busquets as a holding midfielder sounds a better option for me. But again, without notice we are shifting back to the systematic changes I demanded last season and repeated above. Something we agreed to put aside at the moment.
I already commented about the offense line selection in the previous post. We will tackle things in more details as we rewind the game scenarios. That’s all what I have regarding the lineup.
Kick off. The game starts. The lineup is not bad (considering all the circumstances), but 1) the team is not in a good day. 2) Playing against their counter football style. What Inter succeeded to do was stretching Barcelona’s selection. Milito ran like a wolf till he broke, pushing Puyol and Pique backward. Pandev was dedicated to Alves while Eto’o pressed Maxwell and Sneijder checked Busquets (sometimes danced between Busquets and Xavi/Keita depending who come for the help). They did it in Barcelona’s half for a reason: Instead of letting Barcelona’s defense contribute in the offense build up, they forced Xavi, Pedro and Messi to play deep in order to provide outlets and keep possession. They didn’t need to worry as they had sufficient cover behind with two holding midfielders creating central and lateral cover based on Barcelona’s offense circulation. Another thing about Inter’s performance was that they didn’t get frustrated with the lack of ball possession. In fact, they gave up on trying to battle for it. Their mind set was obvious: Wait patiently for an interception, and when they get the ball they change the play diagonally to the space caused by Barcelona’s unbalanced positioning and generate counters putting as many players on the attacked flank as possible.
A fully fit Barcelona might break through that. The Barcelona we had for the game was not. To break through there is one word:”Movement” We lacked that Move-receive-pass-move-receive spark .Without it, there was no chance. Claiming that putting Bojan instead of Ibra would have generated supernatural energy in Pedro’s, Messi’s, Xavi’s Keita’s Busquet’s, Alves’s, Maxwell’s legs make it sound as if Bojan has nuclear fission processors behind his ears. The players were not dancing on the right tempo. The ball didn’t move forward fast enough to attack the tiny spaces that appeared here and there for few moments before Cambiasso and Motta put a block to close it. We were forced to play the passes back more than forward. With every back pass the lines moved further from Inters’ third. Ibra was completely isolated. And Inter’s transitions were much faster than Barcelona’s offense pace. It’s easy to say anyone else could have done better. But watch the game again and tell me how often the offense arrived to Inter’s third and Messi was in need for Ibra to switch positions or anything.
When the team is not secured at its own half, it always happens that the players who are supposed to set offense tend to play more out of trouble. It’s more secure to play the ball back than forward. It’s more secure to demand the ball in the space available in your own half than to make the runs forward seeking the pass in the opponent’s territory. Inter knew about this tendency that we have. They stitched their game plan based on our system’s defects. Our possession game didn’t frustrate them because it was predictable. In fact, the opposite would have done better. Secure defense with three center backs and two holding mids (sending the message “We are not in a hurry, you want us to open up, open your lines first!”), and they will start to get more frustrated. While they will have no more spaces where they expected to generate scoring opportunities players like Messi and co will forget (relatively) about defense concerns. They will receive the ball and set offense rather than trying to avoid a disastrous loss of possession. If the defenses of the both sides cancel offense, it’s all cool. Bring them to the Camp Nou!
The problem is that we played an ultra offense structure that ended up struggling to serve defensive demands.
Regarding the subs, as much as it sounds strange, there is some reasoning behind it. Henry for example was a good option to use, but any stat for his performance this season can tell that he causes more possession loss than offense threat. With the team struggling, the last thing we needed is to lose possession more often in the last segment of the game and track back again and again (Mou was combing Balotelli to get him ready for a reason). The idea was to create a better offense movement on the left flank using two of Abidal, Maxwell, and Keita with one of them at a time (Keita or Abidal) staying back when Pique moves forward. One of the earnings could be creating more space for Messi on the other flank to catch Inter by surprise. Besides, it will keep Maicon in his position rather than having to deal with his runs forward. It was a nice try, without lot of expectations that it will do miracles. At least, it was better than any other option that may lead to losing possession. It’s true that we were 3-1 down. But when Pep did his substitution we were closer to 4-1 than 3-2. Playing at the Camp Nou to overcome a 1-3 defeat is not easy, but a 1-4 would have been almost impossible. May be in the last few minutes, We could have used Bojan/Henry to pick the balls roaming toward the box to hunt a goal. Especially after Maicon’s injury that created a more defensive Inter.
Visual demonstrations:
First Goal: Notice the space behind the initial pressure attempt. Especially with the holding midfielder contribution in the build up. If you think any holding midfielder can cover that huge toritory alone, you are putting unrealistic expectations:
Fig 1: Positioning mess?
Fig:2 Attacking the space by change of play.
Fig: 3
Pique out of the play, while on the other flank the team is outnumbered
(Not Pique's fault, its the overall structure)
Fig: 4
Fig 5: Systematic collapse.
Just before Pedro's goal:
Notice our players' movement:
Fig:6
Now imagine that the ball was intercepted. How complicated will it be for Inter to generate a counter?
Even in this moment where we are in possession, if you think about it, we are more threatened than them to concede.
Even in this moment where we are in possession, if you think about it, we are more threatened than them to concede.
Talking about Pedro (the red circle in the following fotos), If you think the first goal was Alves fault, think again:
Third goal: More systematic positioning mess:
As long as you see more players running behind the ball rather than pending to intercept it, then you are in a huge trouble. You chase the ball, while the ball chase the valid open players.
Inter putting pressure:
Interested to know what two holding midfielders can do?
- Notice Maicon, Motta and Cambiasso movement
- Notice when Pandev switch with Motta and act as a DM in some fotos.
-The photos represent a continious play as the time show.
-The photos represent a continious play as the time show.
The Maxwell-Keita-Abidal operations:
And finally, the spicey dish everyone is looking for: Ibra standing in Messi's path to dribble the world (Some samples):
If you are wondering where is Ibra,
he is there pushing the defense back creating space between the lines.
Was it better that Ibra bring Lucio with him to pay Messi a visit?
Spaces...hah?
Its fair to be critical. Whether regarding the manager's choices or the players' performance as long as we keep in mind the tactical platform. So we understand the challenge facing every player accurately, before checking how far he is responsible of the good days, or the bad ones.
