It's been a while since we watched such an entertaining Clásico. It's obviously disappointing to be eliminated, but this game offered a lot of insights.
Several specific tactical points could be discussed but I will focus on a single one : the constant forward runs made by both central midfielders.
I assume putting more men into or at the edge of the box is one of Xavi's ways to create numerical superiorities and compensate Barça's lack of goalscorer & qualitative superiorities in attack.
The CMs obviously need to be positioned between the opponent’s lines during build-up. But I feel that they are either too advanced or rushing forward and rarely offering a clean or easy passing lane to the ball carrier (often Busquets or a member of the back four).
A pattern that you can notice in any of the previous games.
It’s not the movement itself that’s problematic. It’s the systematic emphasis on verticalization.
Putting so many bodies forward is also extremely risky in case of ball loss :
But with time, there will probably be adjustments :
- A more balanced approach where the CMs alternate between forward runs & deeper positioning to control the game (the latter being more in-line with the natural skills of the CMs in the squad).
- Working on the counter-pressing and the rest defense (look at the 1st image in this post : who do you think will get the hypothetical rebound at the edge of the box?).
- Finding the ideal tempo/rhythm, the one that enables the team to advance forward as a unit while keeping a collective positioning & structure that facilitate the counter-pressing & rest defense mentioned above.
- The inverted full-backs are key to make all of this work and IMHO the current FBs in the squad still didn’t fully adjust to this new role.
But analyzing this Supercopa Clásico exclusively from a result or tactical perspectives misses the point IMHO. I think yesterday's game is one where Xavi's personality as a coach were in full display and a major step forward in the whole recovery process was made.
I appreciate Xavi's boldness. Started using a 3-4-3, a complex & risky system, one that’s very difficult to master, right from his first games. Played with a false 9 (Memphis) then a real striker (Luuk de Jong). Tried a hybrid system and now inverted full-backs. At some point during yesterday’s Clasico, Barça played with 4 forwards and a 3 men defensive line where Araujo played as CB *and* RB.
Once Ansu fati scored the 2-2, instead of reverting to a more balanced structure & controlling the tempo, Barça kept the same system and kept attacking even though it meant having to deal with constant counter-attacks and defensive 2vs2.
When you think about it objectively, it didn't make sense, it was suicidal. The match commentator said it was a proof of Xavi's immaturity as a coach. Sure, he's just starting his coaching career and there's probably some truth in that observation (he does make errors). But I think it fails to see the bigger picture.
As (the always poetic) Valdano once said, it's almost as if Xavi's primary focus wasn’t the result, but to recover Barça’s identity & winning spirit. Through his bold choices in a knock-out game against a strong team like Real Madrid, Xavi reinforced & delivered on his promise to play attacking football regardless of the opponent, the context or available players. The performance also confirmed that the foundations upon which the next era will be built (a titan named Araujo in defense, Pedri's magic in midfield and Ansu Fati's killer instinct in attack, among others) are solid and can deliver in a high pressure game.
Identity → Effective football → Results → Trophies.
Xavi’s decisions reminded me of Guardiola’s speech when he was appointed as Barça coach : "I can't promise that we’ll win trophies. [...] But fasten your seatbelts because we're going to have fun". And I’m having fun watching this team play!
In this long recovery process, we will still hit intermediate milestones. There will be games where we dominate stronger teams and lose (like yesterday) and games where we'll dominate stronger teams and win. There will be several victories in a row by 2 or 3 goal margin then the unavoidable loss against a weaker team. A moment when the other coaches start finding the formula to counter Xavi's main plan and he'll have to make the right adjustments. Etc etc… But what will not change are the coach’s boldness and the style & identity with which this team plays.
It's all part of a long process and I'm happy to witness it unfold in real time.
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What are you thoughts/way out according to you to the counters we face? This has been happening since years now there is a 2v2 or 3v2 (4v2 against Madrid lol) counter attack situation we face every other match, usually more than once. I am not smart enough to figure out what the solution is but I am stunned 3-4 coaches and none have found a solution (obviously going for a deep back line is not the solution my dignity will accept).
I am always left wondering why whenever we recover ball in our own half, opposition recovers much quickly but when they steal the ball ... lol poor Pique. I understand we don't have the fastest squad but ... why can't these smartass find a way out??
And yes regardless, enjoyed reading this as I mostly do on this blog. 👌🏽
Great enjoyable post as always..man u have to post more and plz try to analyze some other team performances like city and liverpool if u can..i know u dont usually comment on individual performances but can u rate busquets game vs madrid and can we see frenkie playing the busquets role anytime soon? ∂