How The New 3-5-2 Structure Led To A Clear Away Win vs Sevilla
The First Time Koeman Opted For the 3-5-2 Structure During the 2020-2021 Season.
This victory meant leaving Sevilla 5 points behind & staying in the fight for La Liga.
The structure :
Koeman opted for a 352 structure. Mingueza & Lenglet supporting Piqué at the back and limiting the horizontal spaces he'd have to cover. This back 3 also meant Busquets didn't have to drop deep and could play/press higher (similar to the way he was used in the 1st game under Quique Setién). And Dembélé in an usual center forward position next to Messi.
The key :
This structure meant Barça's high press could be man-to-man in equal numbers. Dembélé & Messi next to the center backs, Dest & Alba on the opp full-Backs. It was well executed and forced Sevilla's fullbacks & goalkeeper to play 20+ long balls.
Now usually that wouldn't be a problem for a team that has De Jong, one of the best forwards when it comes to aerial challenges. But Piqué did quite well against him, winning 2/3 of those duels.
Also, Rakitic man-marked Busquets on several sequences. But, thanks to the crowded midfield, the latter always had clear passing options he was able execute in 1-2 touches, thus nullifying the Croatian's pressure.
Dembélé's new position :
In the absence of Griezmann & Braithwaite, Dembélé had the task of stretching the opp defense & making off the ball runs.
Dembélé's forward position was slightly to the left. A perfect complement for Messi who usually : 1/ operates on the right half-space. 2/ plays through balls from there towards the left side.
Now whether those runs start from the wing or from a central position, that's a whole different story. When you're close to the touch line, you have an ideal angle to visualize the opponent's DF alignment and no excuses to be caught offside. But when you're in the center, with you're back to goal, game reading is more difficult & timing is everything.
And OD did surprisingly well in this aspect : in the sequence leading to his goal, he made a few clever horizontal steps to stay onside just before his vertical run.
Injuries :
We can't seem to catch a break. A player returns from injury and another one gets injured. Now it's Pedri's turn.
I'm curious to see how Koeman will replace him. Will he go for another classic interior? Will it be Puig or Ilaix Moriba? Or will he give the opportunity to Pjanic, a player he doesn't seem to like & whose best position is DM? Or will he just switch the system back to the 4231?
(Update : Wait, is that Really a 3-5-2 ??? )
Anyway, that's 28 points won out the last 30 in La Liga and finally a clear win against a top team, which should enhance the team's self-confidence before the crucial Copa del Rey return leg vs Sevilla (again!). Visca Barça 💪🏽🔵🔴
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