Quick comments, in no particular order :
- Everything we expected : Classic 4-3-3, wide wingers, central midfielders positioned higher between the lines, very intense pressing to recover the ball, very long spells of ball possession. In short, a classic Barça in terms of structure & philosophy of play.
- Many long passes from the center backs for the opposite side winger (Ilyas & Gavi). Nico & De Jong were constantly making forward runs before those switch of play. But in order to be effective, those runs have to be made in the space between the opponent full-back & center back (to create doubts & attract the full-back centrally). Espanyol reacted very quickly : David Lopez dropped from midfield to DF after 15-20 minutes => Stretching & creating gaps in a 5-men defense is harder.
- Barça was often overloading the left side (Alba, FDJ, Gavi, Memphis) before switching play to the right side for the winger to play the 1v1. Ilyas Akhomach is a promising young talent, but seemed a bit shy to go for the 1v1 : it’s somehow understandable, it was his 1st game with the 1st team. On the other hand, his sub, Ez Abde had an *excellent* performance in the second half ! 8 successful dribbles in 45 minutes !
- Pressing & counter-pressing were also more intense. But that was expected. It always happens when a new coach arrives (remember Setién’s 1st game). The real challenge is to make that behavior last until the end of the season.
- I'm personally more worried about the attacking problems : we have so little individual quality upfront (I know, it is what it is). The defensive problems could in large parts be solved by having a more coordinated pressing and monopolizing ball possession to death (even if it’s a sterile one). So I’m looking forward to see how Xavi will make this team create more chances. Will he start Luuk De Jong & go for more crosses ???? (jk)
- Alba & Mingueza, the fullbacks were systematically positioned deep during build-up. With different roles in attacking phase though : Alba going forward & Oscar occupying the right half-space in midfield (same as under Koeman). That inverted right full-back role seems tailor-made for Sergi Roberto (or even Dani Alves, who played a similar role in Luis Enrique’s Barça). If I had to make a bet, I’d say Dest will keep playing as an advanced winger as long as Xavi maintains this 4-3-3 structure.
- Mingueza is having an awful season so far. He spent the week shitting on Koeman in interviews as if he was responsible for his disappointing performances. He had a good opportunity to show us his worth vs Espanyol. Unfortunately, most of Espanyol's chances came from his area and Raul De Tomas toyed with him as he pleased.
- Espanyol is a good team. I always liked Darder since his Málaga days, I don’t know why he left to Olympique Lyonnais, nor why he played next in 2nd division : he clearly has the level to play for a Top 8 La Liga team. Same could be said about Raul De Tomás (fantastic game for Spain too in his 1st cap).
- Busquets' performance speaks for itself. We always knew.
- On top of all its weaknesses, Koeman’s Barça was also one of the most unlucky Barças I've ever seen (opponents systematically scoring in their 1st shot to goal, forwards missing easy chances, key players injured in key moments of the season etc). With Xavi, in 90 minutes, we had a lucky (undeserved?) penalty and the rival hit the post twice. Xavi is back and, it seems, good luck is back too at the Camp Nou (I always thought luck was an underrated factor in football analysis).
- For long periods, Barça’s 3 midfielders (Busi, FDJ & Nico) were man-marking Espanyol’s 3 mids. Which created huge gaps down the central lanes. A bit similar to some sequences we saw vs Atletico de Madrid. I wasn’t convinced by Xavi’s choice… We defend spaces, not men.
- Watching it live, it seemed to me as if Coutinho was playing way faster, at 1 or 2 touches. I checked to see if the data would confirm my feeling. WhosScored’s stats say he had 26 ball touches & played 24 passes. I assume there’s an error, because this is too good to be true :D But hey, even if it was 13 passes for 26 ball touches, that would be a good ratio (2 ball touches per pass).
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I totally agree about luck being an underrated factor in football
Wow - I really liked your 'instant' feedback and observations on the game. I often watch the games alone ànd would really enjoy engaging with some else's thoughts so soon after. Thanks.