Enough has already been written on the el classico that took place last week. We all talked about Messi's brilliance again, along with Ronaldo's flop show and Jose's failed bid to open up a massive lead at the top of the La Liga. Barcelona were supposedly looking weaker this season, and it was said Madrid were ready to finally overthrow their reign. So after the the game, Barca fans did take their chances to boast their superiority again, but puzzlingly, there have been too few discussions about the radical change in Barca's tactics this season.
People talked about Barcelona not looking as great as they have been last three seasons at the start of the campaign. But, the changes that Pep Guardiola has implemented are finally showing their fruit. People have just talked in awe about the 3-defenders system Pep utilised, but there's a lot of tactical thinking behind it.Yes, Lionel Messi continues to dazzle the world with his trickery and inhuman goal-scoring rate. But, one of the biggest factors for the La Blagurana has been the return of their prodigal son.
The Front-Three :
Even with Messi playing in the "False 9" role since Ibrahimovic's departure, Barcelona's front three have been a bit rigid. Messi would drop deep for the possession at times, but Pedro and David Villa always played from the flanks, trying to cut inside. But, with now Cesc Fabregas, naturally an attacking mid-fielder, introduced in that trio, there's suddenly a lot more flexibility. Well, or even more than that was pre-existing!
As you can see, with Fabregas willing to play between the lines, rather than either a conventional forward or midfielder, Messi can now roam literally anywhere on the field again. People had talked a lot about Dani Alves just not being able to defend. So, Pep decided to do the clever thing. He just relieved him of his defensive duties, offering him a much more advanced role. This allows Messi and Fabregas to keep changing their positions all the time, causing all kinds of havoc. And this has clearly been seen in both players' stats. While people have long stopped feeling any more surprised about Messi's monstrous goal-scoring record, the former Gunners captain's haul of 10 goals already, does show his immense importance to that system.
Even though Barcelona brought Cesc home more for his creative skills, you wonder Guardiola had this role planned for him all along. Of course, that doesn't mean he's stopped creating chances the way he did at Arsenal. Often he drops deep into the centre of the park, picking out his trademark through-balls, allowing Dani Alves to almost operate as an advanced winger.
One of the biggest tactical master-stroke from Guardiola though, was turning Mascherano into a ball-playing defender in the absence of Pique. It was the biggest change, that allowed Barcelona to ease into this system. It took them a bit of time to get accustomed to it, the draw Bilbao and defeat to Getafe stand as proof. But it's commendable how quickly Pep's team have passed through this transition. The difference seems so much starker, when compared to the current re-building attempts at Manchester United and Chelsea.
"At the height of success, 'break' your business", said the former Motorola CEO, Ed Zander. Find any similarities? Barcelona have been on top of the footballing world now for 3 years. And yet, Pep has innovated relentlessly, always bringing out something new and even more beautiful. We often talk about the astute tactical game-plans by Fergusons and Mourinhos, indirectly assuming Barca's magical play is just because of their superstars. Yet, some of the most fantastic innovations in recent times have come from the former Barcelona Number 4. Playing Messi in the "False 9" role after the departures of Eto'o and Ibrahimovic, using David Villa on the left-flank to cut inside, and now this nearly un-'man-markable' system.
Let Real Madrid fans say they don't care about about losing to Barcelona as long as they win the league.They still lead the table despite that that classico defeat. But deep inside, they will know that, for them to succeed, the mighty Catalans must be beaten. Jose Mourinho will be desperate for that. He has beaten them with Chelsea and Inter already. But, Barcelona still stand pretty on top of the tree. He knows himself, that to end the catalan reign, he must build one of the greatest club-teams, one that can go close to the might of the legendary Real Madrid of 50s and 60s. His track record and determination suggests he might achieve that one day. But for all the current attempts from the club from the Capital, the team from Catalonia still hold the advantage.
People talked about Barcelona not looking as great as they have been last three seasons at the start of the campaign. But, the changes that Pep Guardiola has implemented are finally showing their fruit. People have just talked in awe about the 3-defenders system Pep utilised, but there's a lot of tactical thinking behind it.Yes, Lionel Messi continues to dazzle the world with his trickery and inhuman goal-scoring rate. But, one of the biggest factors for the La Blagurana has been the return of their prodigal son.
The Front-Three :
Even with Messi playing in the "False 9" role since Ibrahimovic's departure, Barcelona's front three have been a bit rigid. Messi would drop deep for the possession at times, but Pedro and David Villa always played from the flanks, trying to cut inside. But, with now Cesc Fabregas, naturally an attacking mid-fielder, introduced in that trio, there's suddenly a lot more flexibility. Well, or even more than that was pre-existing!
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| Messi roams anywhere with the ball, allowing Fabregas to make the forays forward |
As you can see, with Fabregas willing to play between the lines, rather than either a conventional forward or midfielder, Messi can now roam literally anywhere on the field again. People had talked a lot about Dani Alves just not being able to defend. So, Pep decided to do the clever thing. He just relieved him of his defensive duties, offering him a much more advanced role. This allows Messi and Fabregas to keep changing their positions all the time, causing all kinds of havoc. And this has clearly been seen in both players' stats. While people have long stopped feeling any more surprised about Messi's monstrous goal-scoring record, the former Gunners captain's haul of 10 goals already, does show his immense importance to that system.
Even though Barcelona brought Cesc home more for his creative skills, you wonder Guardiola had this role planned for him all along. Of course, that doesn't mean he's stopped creating chances the way he did at Arsenal. Often he drops deep into the centre of the park, picking out his trademark through-balls, allowing Dani Alves to almost operate as an advanced winger.
 |
| Barcelona Set-up with Fabregas in deep-lying role |
"At the height of success, 'break' your business", said the former Motorola CEO, Ed Zander. Find any similarities? Barcelona have been on top of the footballing world now for 3 years. And yet, Pep has innovated relentlessly, always bringing out something new and even more beautiful. We often talk about the astute tactical game-plans by Fergusons and Mourinhos, indirectly assuming Barca's magical play is just because of their superstars. Yet, some of the most fantastic innovations in recent times have come from the former Barcelona Number 4. Playing Messi in the "False 9" role after the departures of Eto'o and Ibrahimovic, using David Villa on the left-flank to cut inside, and now this nearly un-'man-markable' system.
Let Real Madrid fans say they don't care about about losing to Barcelona as long as they win the league.They still lead the table despite that that classico defeat. But deep inside, they will know that, for them to succeed, the mighty Catalans must be beaten. Jose Mourinho will be desperate for that. He has beaten them with Chelsea and Inter already. But, Barcelona still stand pretty on top of the tree. He knows himself, that to end the catalan reign, he must build one of the greatest club-teams, one that can go close to the might of the legendary Real Madrid of 50s and 60s. His track record and determination suggests he might achieve that one day. But for all the current attempts from the club from the Capital, the team from Catalonia still hold the advantage.
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