Ernesto Valverde - V1

[Barcaman]

Remains to be seen if Suarez as LF will work (I have no doubts Messi in the middle will).
Henry and Villa made it before so I am optimistic.

Questions regarding Rakitic form and Iniesta fitness are still there but Roberto and Paulinho (to an extent) could surprise us yet.

Semedo looks confident but will need time to blend in with Dembele on the right side.

Much work ahead but we started La Liga well and there are reasons to be optimistic and it is good that we have easier games in first 7 rounds so Valverde can make the machine work.

 

[serghei]

Don't make Suarez hug the line because he will fail in a Neymar role. Play Alba more advanced, and play Suarez left but inside-left, and it can work. Dembele on the right with Semedo can be a great pair.

Suarez and Dembele can also switch positions in game to confuse opponents. We can push both Alba and Dembele up at times, after we feel the strenght of the opponent on the field. This way, both Dembele and Suarez can play more inside.

 

[DonAK]

Don't make Suarez hug the line because he will fail in a Neymar role. Play Alba more advanced, and play Suarez left but inside-left, and it can work. Dembele on the right with Semedo can be a great pair.

I think this is what will happen. Also Dembele being two-footed means that he can switch over to the left during the game with Suarez stepping into the middle. That way you can also create an overload on the left for Semedo to exploit on the right side.

 

[JamDav1982]

Think Valverde copied my idea.

Truly he did.

 

[putogusiluz8]

No goals conceded. Man is known for improving his team defensively. How long can we keep this up?

 

[Barcaman]

Don't make Suarez hug the line because he will fail in a Neymar role. Play Alba more advanced, and play Suarez left but inside-left, and it can work. Dembele on the right with Semedo can be a great pair.

Suarez and Dembele can also switch positions in game to confuse opponents. We can push both Alba and Dembele up at times, after we feel the strenght of the opponent on the field. This way, both Dembele and Suarez can play more inside.

There is no Neymar role no more. We are playing much differently. It's a role of Henry and Villa.

 

[gatsu]

This is where you see that Valverde is a good tecnician, the team mouvment has dramaticaly improved, thanks to that the presssing has been very effective. Now let the man do his job without the board interference and I'm certain he can do wonders with this squad.

 

[serghei]

There is no Neymar role no more. We are playing much differently. It's a role of Henry and Villa.

That's good, because Neymar was in a licence to try to dribble kind of role. Now there seems to be more of a tactic of how to create space, and less of a give the ball to X player and he'll create space by forcing 1 vs 1s as often as possible.

 

[jairzinho]

I like Dembele and Semedo on the right. They're both quick and could be devastating on the counter and normal play.

 

[xXKonan]

You can see some improvements in certain players in Valverde's system and it was evident in this game. sure it's Espanyol but Rakitic,Alba who we all shat on for the most part due to their declining performances look pretty good today with Alba being used better and Rakitic looking more ballsy.

Could be a theme with Valverde, some underperforming players we have might get a new lease on life here in his system and his coaching. not saying they will automatically be world class but I expect them to at least contribute much better than they have during Lucho's final time here.

I mean Valverde has to anyway. we are still weak in the Midfield area and he's trying his hardest to get something out of the likes of Gomes,Denis,Rafinha etc.

 

[Iarwain]

 

[Raketa10]

Hmmm... is it 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 or even 4-4-2? He moved Messi in central position but he also changed position of the midfielders especially Rakitic who is now also playing more central role. As a consequence Busi now finally has players near him.

 

[Mitchell1978]

On paper its 4-3-3 probably but in reality that looks more like 3-4-3 with Semedo and Alba playing more as midfielders and Busquets dropping back. Nothing new though for Barcelona.

 

[serghei]

On paper its 4-3-3 probably but in reality that looks more like 3-4-3 with Semedo and Alba playing more as midfielders and Busquets dropping back. Nothing new though for Barcelona.

Similar to how Pep used Alves at one point. Especially post 2011, when he was more employed in midfield more than anything on our build up.

Alba is used in a more attacking way to occupy LW while Suarez is playing in a sort of LST position, almost like a left striker in a 4-4-2. I believe the amount of time that Semedo will go up and take the RW position, will depend a lot on Dembele's role. If Dembele will be used in a Neymar type of role, at RW, then Semedo's offensive role will be limited. If Dembele will cut inside, then there is room for Semedo to act as a RW and use the space there. I like that our shape in attacking phase is pretty fluid. Players will switch places quite often. This is making it easier for midfielders to find good passes.

But the idea behind Valverde's use of the wings is something I really like. He seems to be an adept of central play with switches to the wings only when there is space created there. Lucho's system drove the ball there by default, even when the other team was firmly set in positions. And that tactic in particular, became pretty easy to defend against by over-crowding Neymar.

 

[Cool]

Can we get the passing map?