Category: FC Barcelona

Moving to Substack

Hi everyone 👋🏽

This is just a quick message to let you know that I’m moving the newsletter to Substack. I’ve had too many issues with the WordPress App these last months (keeps crashing, some subscribers not added to the mailing list, etc…).

– If you’re an email subscriber, you have nothing else to do.
– If you’re accessing my posts by any other mean (RSS feed, WP reader…), head over to https://thecaptn.substack.com/ and enter your email address to access the next publications.

Thank you for your understanding.

Messi, Griezmann and the “R Word”

THIS PUBLICATION WAS MOVED TO SUBSTACK : www.thecaptn.substack.com

When Messi’s departure was announced, the first thing that came to my mind was the F word. For weeks, it was the first reaction & word that came to my mind every time I thought about Barça’s situation.

Now that the transfer window is closed & I calmed down, I wanted to assess the sporting situation more broadly. But I realize it’d be a futile exercise. Since the financial aspect was clearly the #1 priority, it’s really difficult to judge Alemany & Laporta’s decisions from a sporting point of view.

THE PROCESS

As said previously, we always knew Laporta would take radical & unpopular decisions. After all, that’s what he was elected for and that’s why his charisma & track record came in handy : had Font or Freixa done the same, El Entorno of Barcelona would be about to explode. That’s one of the main reasons why key figures in the history of an organization are needed in turn-around phases (same goes for coaches) .

Barça was like that broke guy who resorted to debt for years to live above his means and is now back to a standard of living in-line with his resources. It’s a brutal return to reality. But one that will hopefully pay off in the long term. As explained in the thread below (you should click & read it in its entirety), it’ll probably be a 2-step process :
– this season : sell as many players as possible and start overturning the financial situation by drastically cutting costs.
– next season : make some sound long-term investments in players & revenue-generating projects.

LUUK De JONG (LDJ)

Obviously, comparing him to Griezmann wouldn’t make much sense. A different profile. He will provide his aerial skills & hold-up play and may be useful in specific contexts.

His prowess in aerial duels always impressed me :

He will offer Ter Stegen a target man who could win those long balls when the team struggles under pressure & the forwards are in 1v1 situations upfront.

Still, and even though I think none of them is at the required level to play for Barça, Braithwaite offers a mix of LDJ’s (physical presence in the air, capacity to play as a pivot) & Aguero’s abilities (mobility, speed, off the ball runs) but without excelling at any specific skill.

What I mean is all of the profiles in attack seem somehow incomplete. And IMHO, a winger good in 1v1 may have been more useful (only Dembélé fits that profile currently). Someone young, cheap, who doesn’t demand a starting spot. Someone like… Konrad? Or Carles Pérez ? 🙂

WHICH SYSTEM ?

Very few productive wingers or full-backs, several forwards who thrive in central positions and an impressive number of center backs : this squad seems tailored to play in a 3-5-2 system, exactly as in the 2nd part of last season.

MONEY VS PRIDE

By not selling Mbappé, PSG clearly improved their chances of winning the UCL with a historic trio of forwards & boosting the Qatar brand for 12 months. But that’s a luxury only those with deep pockets can afford. And most importantly, refusing 220M€ for a player who made it clear he wants to leave and may do so for free next summer is illogical from an economic perspective. So, PSG’s management & friends celebrating it on social media seem a bit irrational to me : they focus on pride & short-term wins rather than sane management & the long-term.

GRIEZMANN AND THE “R WORD”

One day a kid asks his father : “Dad, do you know what the S word is?”. His dad says “No, what is it?”. The kid says “Shit!” and smiles proudly. The father is shocked. “You know, you shouldn’t say that word, son”. The kid nods then turns his head and starts playing with his toys, a creepy smile still on his face.

2 minutes later, the kid comes back. “Dad! Do you know what the F word is?”. The father decides to not take any risks this time. “I know it, son. You shouldn’t say that word too”. The kid goes back to playing, with a somehow sad face this time.

But 2 minutes later, the kid comes back running. “Dad! Dad ! Do you know what the R word is?”. This time the father is intrigued : he doesn’t know any dirty word that starts with R. “No, son. What is it ?”. And the kid says “Rrrreeeeaaaally fuck!”.

And I was reminded of this silly joke when I saw Barça doing whatever it takes until the last minute of the transfer window (23h59) to sell Griezmann even if it’s to one of our main rivals and for less than a fair price. That’s when I realized Barça was rrreeeaaaallly fuxxed!

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About Barça’s Start of the 2021-22 Season

Some quick comments about Barça’s start of the season, the game vs Athletic Bilbao and football in general.

Since until the last moment Messi was expected to stay, Koeman probably brought Memphis for the left winger role. He even played there during the pre-season friendlies. It made sense also because that’s Ansu Fati’s main position and it is uncertain if & how quickly he’ll be back to his previous level.

Once Messi’s gone, Koeman picked Memphis to play in the false 9 position. Which I found quite surprising. Messi’s departure meant Griezmann could finally play in a position that suits his profile & skillset. Instead, he’s stuck in a right winger position (with freedom to roam centrally) that limits him. He’s nor a dribbler nor a fast runner. I’d even argue that, if he has to necessarily play on the wing, he has greater ability to make runs from the left than the right side.

The 2nd big change is Piqué’s new position as left center back, after 10+ years playing as right center back. Because the other CBs Koeman counts on (Araujo & Éric) feel better on the right side. I’ve always been told that, if a choice has to be made, it’s the experienced CB who has to move to the less ideal side.

It’ll probably impact Barça’s capacity to build from the back, specially if we’re pressed. The ball will probably reach Alba less quickly. But it’ll also open new options : maybe Piqué’s accurate long passes could reach Alba or Fati’s runs down the left side easier. In any case, the team’s mechanisms have to be adapted in order to make a positive change.

Koeman picked Eric García to start even though the latter learned about his grandma’s death just minutes before the game. I guess Eric himself said he could handle the situation. But IMHO it was a mistake from Koeman to go with it. That kind of risk shouldn’t be taken with such a young player. In San Mames, against forwards as shrewd as Iñaki Williams & Raúl García, I don’t think it was worth it. It’s not like Eric is the new Beckenbauer and the defense would crumble without him. It’s not like there were no other CBs available. It made no sense to me.

Anyway, it’ll be interesting to follow the post-Messi era. Saying I’m excited would be a stretch. And not only because Messi’s left or the club’s dire financial situation. I don’t know what you guys think, but I feel like there’s been so many football games in the last 12 months. I’m kinda overdosing.

Last week I read FIFA wants to have the World Cup played every 2 years. Now I just learned that on top of UCL & Europa League, there’s a new European competition this season called the UEFA Europa Conference League. WTF ? Too many competitions, too many games. And like anything that becomes too abundant, it loses attractiveness & becomes a bit monotonous.

Barça Lives to Fight Another Day

This week, Barça lost to Granada (1-2 at Camp Nou) and won vs Valencia (2-3 at Mestalla). We failed to take the #1 spot, but we still alive and fighting for this Liga.

IMHO, in both games, the team had good performances during 70 minutes.

The usual patterns of play in attack were displayed effectively.

De Jong’s now famous forward run down the right half-space into the box.

Sometimes even sequences of supreme fútbol 👇🏽

Look at the speed of these combinations 🔥

But it’s always the same problems that end up complicating things : the individual errors in defense and the inability to properly manage the last 20 minutes.

About the defense : Barça conceded 7 goals in the last 4 games. That means on average you need to score 3 goals to win a game. But it should be noted that these 9 goals came from only 14 conceded shots. So there’s also the (lack of) luck factor to consider.

About the chronic fragility shown in the last 20 minutes : Some blamed the international break for disrupting the team’s momentum. Others mentioned the physical fatigue at this stage of the season (a packed calendar + few rotations). Others talked about the added pressure of being in the last stretch of the fight for LaLiga. I think it’s a bit of everything.

KOEMAN

I have to say Koeman sticking with the same plan & the same substitutions and failing to adapt to the rival or game circumstances is starting to become irritating…

Why not sacrificing 1 of the back 3 when the opponent has only 1 striker ? Why always Ilaix Moriba and no chance is given to Puig ? Why systematically depleting the midfield and subbing off Busquets when we need a goal ? Why insisting with giving Trincao 10 minutes when he’s clearly not an impact player & needs a different context to express his talent ?

Knowing where we came from, to me, Koeman has fulfilled the mission he was given & deserves a 2nd season (I’ll probably come back to this in detail in a future post). But he has almost as many achievements as flaws to work on. Starting with in-game tactical management of 2nd halves.

TER STEGEN

I know Ter Stegen is a fans’ favorite. I know data & statistics show he’s stopping shots at a high rate. But I have to trust the eye test here. And what my eyes see, in every game, is 2 or 3 situations where Mats shows signs of doubts & fragility.

My main concerns are : his tendency to stick to the goal-line and the lack of domination in aerial duels at the edge of the 6-yards box.

For every new season, Cruyff used to change a couple things : maybe try a new system (from a false 9 to bringing Romario) or sell one of the team leaders (the famous “sacred cows”). His goal : group stimulation, force the players to face new individual & collective challenges, avoid any kind of complacency.

I believe a similar approach should be applied with MATS. Challenge him! Maybe by bringing a goalkeeper of higher caliber, one who could realistically take his starting spot. Or maybe by bringing a new goalkeeping coach (instead of JR De La Fuente, who he’s been working with *for the last 7 years*) who will change the trainings & force him out of his comfort zone.

ALBA

It always amazes me how little talk there is about the quality of Alba’s crosses. He’s the kind of player who’s the first to be blamed after a loss, the last to be mentioned after a victory.

Already 15 assists this season.

JAVI GRACIA

A quick word about Valencia’s coach, Javi Gracia, one of the promising Spanish coaches (with guys like Machin & Diego Martinez).

He was given an average squad, saw the best players sold (Parejo, Kondogbia, Rodrigo, Coquelin, Ferran Torres, Costa, Florenzi) and had almost no replacements. Yet he’s managed to maintain the club in the middle of the table. And he’s been fired this morning! This trick of letting the manager coach in a difficult game (and own the L) before informing him that he’s fired is machiavelical…

Next week-end, we have the 2 games that will decide LaLiga : Atlético de Madrid vs Barça and Sevilla vs Real Madrid. Will be witness Suárez’ definitive revenge? 😀 In any case, this ending is the most interesting since the 2013-2014 season. Let’s hope it won’t have the same outcome…

Visca el Barça 💪🏽 🔵 🔴

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The Most Solid Contender for LaLiga (if Koeman Stops Messing Around in 2nd Halves)

After the Copa del Rey title, Barça won 2 key games vs Getafe & Villarreal this week. Some quick comments about these games :

BUSQUETS’ ATTACKING CONTRIBUTION

Since Xavi’s departure, I’ve personally been expecting Busquets to make a step forward & take more attacking responsibilities. And Koeman seems to have found the right system to enable that & reinforce the Busquets-Messi connection.

We’ve seen something similar VS Réal Sociedad. And the data shows Busquets is having his best season (out of the last 8) in terms of expected key passes and assists per 90 minutes.

KOEMAN’S SUBS

We’re in April and Koeman still insists on messing the team with his substitutions in the last 20 minutes. This time, Barça ended the game with Araujo, Piqué, Mingueza, Roberto, Alba & Lenglet on the pitch : that’s 6 defenders! No matter how you slice it, that’s not trying to “control the game”.

It’d have been ok if we had no midfielders on the bench (not the case). Or if we were playing with 10 men because of a red card (not the case, rather the opposite happened).

Koeman’s choices of repositioning Griezmann as left winger (basically switching to a 5-4-1), lowering the height of the team block & adding more defensive players made no sense to me…

BUILDING FROM THE BACK

Isn’t it funny how we take some things for granted and only mention them when they stop working? But it should be noted that this Barça made tremendous improvements in this aspect.

Why ? 2 elements. First, Ter Stegen’s passing ability and range. Secondly, not only clear patterns & strategies, but also IMHO an individual & collective understanding from the players that enables them to quickly adapt & react to changing in-game situations without the coach’s involvement.

In the 1st half, depending on the spaces/players pressed by Villarreal, Barça players performed several synchronized movements to create/free other spaces & players.

PASSING STOPPERS

Due to the numerical superiority in that 1st line, often at least one of the wide defenders (“stoppers”) in Barça’s back 3 has time & space to carry the ball forward. But if you look at some of the last games (especially el Clasico), Mingueza & Lenglet too often only play safe passes to the closest teammate, no risk taken whatsoever.

It is necessary to either carry the ball forward in order to attract a rival (thus freeing a teammate) before releasing it, or to play a pass that breaks a line (or several). That way, the midfielders can keep their high positioning and the passing serves an attacking purpose.

So I was quite happy to see Mingueza attempting several vertical passes vs Getafe (towards Roberto & Messi) and vs Villarreal (towards Dest & Griezmann).

GRIEZMANN’S RUNS

With Villarreal’s high defensive line, you’d think Barça absolutely needed a fast forward to be able to exploit it. Comes Griezmann, a not particularly fast player, and he destroys it with a couple of smart movements.

I love Griezmann because he confirms my long time theory that a forward’s ability to perfectly time (anticipate the defender’s move and/or synchronize with the passer) and execute (right angle, right pattern) his runs is more important than his pace.

LAST COMMENT : How some people manage to say this didn’t deserve a red card while keeping a straight face, I don’t understand...

Anyway, just like that, Barça could be top of the league if they win vs Granada on Thursday. Let’s go win that 2nd trophy! Visca el Barça 💪🏽 🔵 🔴

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Koeman Creating Ideal Contexts & Win-Win Situations : 6-1 victory vs Real Sociedad

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DE JONG IN DEFENSE

I’m personally still not convinced by De Jong in central defense. It works when the team dominates ball possession and/or plays vs low blocks. And I’m waiting to see it when he’ll have to defend in the box, where he’ll have less time & space to offset errors and defensive fundamentals (body orientation, reading the striker’s movements) are needed.

In any case, he’s a talented player who learns at a fast rate (as proved by his successful conversion to a box-to-box role in the middle of the season), so there’s reasons to be optimistic.

DE JONG -> BUSQUETS

If Messi’s role was called “false 9”, then Frenkie’s role could be called “false defender”. It’s a hybrid role that evolves in possession phase, similar to the one Koeman himself played under Cruyff (see GIF).

Here’s Fdj showing a great complementarity with Busquets to help the team progress forward down the central lane (see Gif).

The back 3 & De Jong’s support mean Busquets can play a couple meters higher, which decreases the space he’d have to cover. And the packed midfield offers him more passing options, which is key to his game. Busquets’ performance VS Real Sociedad was a true masterclass!

BUSQUETS -> MESSI

“Busquets doesn’t waste even a single chance to pass the ball to Messi.” – Valdano

Few players can verticalize the play with 1-touch passes like Busquets. And this higher positioning gets him closer to Messi, which in turn enables the latter to stay closer to the box, where he’s more decisive.

A win-win situation!

And it’s been evidenced in the play that led to Dest’s goal :

BETTER PRESSING

Under the previous 4-3-3 system, the team struggled to press on intervals & close spaces (3 forwards vs the opponent’s back 4, which means synchronization & continuous adjustments had to be made).

The new system simplified everything by committing 1 more man forward, enabling man-to-man pressing (Messi & Dembélé vs the center backs, Dest & Alba vs the full-backs). Which also means Busquets has less compensatory forward runs to make.

PEDRI

Koeman tried several structures this season and Pedri, similarly to De Jong, had to adapt to several positions/roles.

Now with De Jong dropping to defense and Griezmann’s presence as attacking midfielder, Pedri is lately performing a slightly different role : closer to Busquets and the base of the game, rather than between the lines. But still doing so with ease because as Aldo said, he’s “a footballer not defined by position“.

TWEAKS

The following images give a better idea of the structure Barça is using lately :

The area targeted by Koeman : Messi or Griezmann waiting to receive the ball between the lines, on either sides of the opponent’s defensive midfielder(s). We also saw it in the return UCL game VS PSG.

BACK 3 MAN-MARKING

All of this doesn’t mean this new system is perfect. It’s rather a risky one. The back 3 often man-marks the opponent’s forwards, following them to dubious areas & emptying their zones. And as said in the previous paragraphs, the high press is quite aggressive : if bypassed, this could lead to dangerous 3v3 situations.

CONCLUSION

Koeman did a good job solving the collective dysfunctions by taking more risks in order to provide each player with ideal contexts. And the adaptability of key pieces like De Jong & Pedri is what enabled him to do so.

But risks still remain (De Jong defending in the box, the man-marking…). Will it work against teams with enough technical skills to bypass that high press and/or keep ball possession longer? We will probably soon have an answer because there’s a Clásico in ~20 days.

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