Don't really like the idea of a 4-2-3-1. It makes it seem like we'll be playing with a loan striker, which will never happen...not with this team. Playing with a loan striker is actually really, really stupid since we're playing against a bus half the time....
If we have 70 percent possession every single game...why do we need two DMs on the pitch at once?! Even one DM on the pitch seems like overkill some games. Sergi usually sits back more and lets Alves go up more often but teams catch on to that really quickly and it's predictable. Alves should be used pretty often but our attack should be planned mostly through our midfield and strikers, having a fullback running up and down the entire pitch the whole game seems to make him more prone to making a mistake on defense.
I'd personally like to see 4-3-1-2. Iniesta-Masch-Xavi, Messi (playing free role behind strikers like last year), and Villa + Ibra upfront, Ibra as a supporting striker with more freedom. Why would we change how Messi plays when he scored 47 goals last season? If anything Villa + Ibra creates even more space for him. Masch will create as much, or even more space for Xavi to create his magic. Thats the way I see it anyway.