Tag: High Pressing

How The New 3-5-2 Structure Led To A Clear Away Win vs Sevilla

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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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The Start Of Quique Setién’s Era

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About Valverde’s dismissal, Quique Setién’s appointment as new Barça coach, and the board’s failures.

Continue reading “The Start Of Quique Setién’s Era” →

Full Analysis of El Clásico’s Tactical Battle

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Some comments about #ElClasico (0-0). Real Madrid’s high pressing, Ter Stegen’s long balls, Valverde’s tactical adjustments, De Jong & Benzema’s key contributions, and some key stats.

Note : several Gifs & videos. So it may take time to load.

Continue reading “Full Analysis of El Clásico’s Tactical Battle” →

The Best Performance in UCL So Far

About the excellent 1st half, the decreasing intensity after the 60th minute, Griezmann’s performance, Umtiti’s key role in enabling an effective high pressing, and Messi’s masterclass.

Continue reading “The Best Performance in UCL So Far” →

How to Deal with a Lack Of Pace In Attack ?

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A quick observation about the lack of speed in the forward line.

Setting up a tactical system & strategy is about providing the players with the right context in order to :

1- exploit their strong points.

2- hide their weaknesses.

So how and when is the lack of speed in the attacking line a problem ? And which adjustments could be done to compensate it?

CRUYFF EXPLAINS

As usual, the wisdom of Johan Cruyff can help us find an answer.

In this interview, he is talking about how he dealt with Guardiola and Koeman’s lack of speed and defensive abilities when he coached FC Barcelona :

Short version : it’s a matter of space management. The solution would be to limit their area of action, the space they’d have to cover.

Now let’s apply this theory to the case of a forward whose lack of pace is often pointed to as limiting his & his team’s performances : Suárez.

In a 100 meters race, any center back could win against Suarez.

In a 5 to 10 meters race? Not so sure… In a 5 to 10 meters race, the outcome depends on timing & quality of execution of the run as much as on speed.

Which means, the higher on the pitch the team plays, the less the absence of speed in the forward line will be detrimental.

So how do we achieve that?

PACE VS COUNTER-PRESSING

Reaching the last third in a controlled manner becomes an absolute necessity. But that’s something Barça does quite well (generally speaking). IMHO the main issue is the counter-pressing activity.

The more intense the counter-pressing, the higher the probability of keeping the ball high on the pitch (and, as explained, the less the lack of speed would be an issue).

What currently happens is the following :

  • 1. Messi & Suarez not pressing high nor counter-pressing.
  • 2. The team is forced to go deeper & play a mid-block.
  • 3. Ball recovery happens around the halfway line or in Barça’s half.
  • 4. Inability to exploit the counter-attacking opportunities due to their lack of speed.

The problem with playing both Suarez & Messi then becomes : a lack of speed AND counter-pressing activity simultaneously.

CONCLUSION

The slower your forwards, the more emphasis need to be put on ball possession & counter-pressing to provide them with time & space higher up the pitch (in modern football, even a split second or half a meter of free space counts).

Suarez is still a deadly striker. But his decreasing physical abilities mean he demands more from his team in order to keep providing what he does best : goals.

He demands both his lack of pace & his lack of counter-pressing activity to be compensated. And things would be much easier if he had only 1 of these 2 flaws.

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