Guardiola admitted this week that he may be forced to review Barcelona’s tactics following the defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League. This may come as a bit of a shock to some who see the side as fiercely stuck in their ways and relatively unwilling to alter their tactical or mental approach. However it now appears that the much revered and idolised way that the club play is becoming slightly more one-dimensional and predictable.
Anyone going into a game against Barcelona will now have a tape of that semi-final against Chelsea and take away different elements from it. Whether or not teams will adopt the same approach isn’t necessarily the problem, but other managers will now have an idea of a benchmark of how to beat Barcelona the ugly way. The more teams that try this against Pep’s side, the more they will become frustrated and unable to gain momentum from their performances. It’s almost as though they need an extra string to their tactical bow just to put some doubt in their opponents minds and not become so predictable to play against. No matter how well the system works, there’s always a way to play against it.
With the formation and positioning of Barcelona’s players becoming so undefined and variable in recent years, it’s easy to think that they adopt a very different approach for every game with players doing different jobs. But in reality, it always comes down to the pass-and-move interplay and manipulation of the ball in tight central spaces until they find a way through to goal. The mentality and ‘system’ remain relatively unchanged even though the fluidity and versatility of the individuals suggest otherwise. However Guardiola, having played for the club and being pretty tactically astute, will know that there are tactical changes that can add variation to his side’s play without going against their ethos and brand of football.
One thing that has been under-utilised on occasions from the Barcelona team is width. When the play becomes compact and narrow, it goes against their aim of finding a path along the ground into the opposition penalty area and closes off avenues. One thing last season which was quite noticeable was the beneficial influence that Pedro had on this problem as he would often do a good job in opening up the play and stretching the opposition more. He was used to good effect as an out-ball down the channel which dragged defenders around. Barcelona have the tools to do this with Alexis Sanchez, Cuenca and Tello being examples, but they haven’t always managed to utilise them and incorporate them into a system that allows for width and pace in attacking situations.
The lack of a designated striker can often hinder their approach as it means more bodies around the edge of the penalty area crowding the attack, as opposed to darting in and amongst defenders in the area. When David Villa played centrally, although not in the greatest of form before his injury, he appeared to somewhat steer the team away from this sort of play and gave another option in the attacking third. Even if he doesn’t provide the final shot, Villa gives defenders a body to occupy in a more advanced position, and makes it more difficult for the opposition to account for every man breaking from midfield and moving in for the kill.
Guardiola said, “We have to find a way to attack better”, so it will be interesting to see him put any new plans into action on the pitch, and I think he’s right to do so. The structure of the build up play is all in place, but the penetration and methods of conversion can be tweaked and varied. It stops the opposition from believing that they have a way of containing the Barcelona team and opens up other avenues for the Catalans to explore in the final third of the pitch. Adaptability and reacting to change is something that all great sides can take on and Barcelona have all the pieces in place to improve their tactics efficiently for next season.
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