Lliga: Malaga - Barcelona 0-0

[serghei]

Yes, but that much rigidness is detrimental. Lucho needs to find a balance when using the fb's, width is not needed all the time, or in both sides at once. Iniesta needs to combine with Messi and Rakitic more, and vice versa.
The "Messidependencia" was once on him scoring, now it's on him creating.

Very good comment. I would go about as far as saying that every or almost every player we bring forward must draw an opponent to mark him. Alba and Douglas were free. And since they were free, they should have cut inside to draw opponents, at wich point, the could engage Messi, Iniesta, Rakitic or Busi. Instead went up in the flank and did cross after cross to nobody. Take this picture, from the Milan game.

 

[BBZ8800]

The rigid system is there to provide back-up for fullbacks in case the ball is lost and the opponent tries immediately to pass the ball onto the wing (usually by hoofing). So it may be the thing that you have to sacrifice in order to keep those clean sheets, especially in tricky away games.

True.

Also, we could say that we had 2 problems in the last 1-2 Seasons:
1. attacking problems, breaking the parked bus
2. we were fragile on counterattacks and set pieces

Now, it seems that Lucho fixed the 2nd problem, with different tactics, new defenders and Rakitic covering for Alves.
-- so, yes, we will concede much less goals

But the attacking problem remains.
-- ok, Suarez will come, it will be better in a few weeks

But if we will have more matches when we will have problems with breaking the bus, Lucho will need to work on some new attacking options/a slight change in tactics.

 

[MagIX]

This part, plus what Berkeley said how the middle is crowded, and then we get our play from the last 2 Seasons, when people say that we don't play possession football, Tiki-Taka, through the middle and similar things.

It is not that Tata or Lucho asked players to play down the wings and similar.
We just can't do anything anymore through the middle, and all we can do is cross, cross and cross.
And play 0:0 and 1:1 all the time and lose all trophies eventually.

The teams have learned how to play against us.
Their middle/the bus is stronger and stronger each Season, and our team is moving/running less and less and we will never move around/run like in 2009 or 2011.

People used to say in the last 2-3 Seasons, that we only have to go back to our roots and that everything will be fine.
But, there are a few legit questions:
1. if we assume that we will never have players as good for our style and on their peak like younger Messi, younger Xavi, younger Iniesta...
-- should we then try to force the same style/formation/tactics from 2008-2011, even though it will never work the same as then because both:
a) other teams are better and better in neutralizing us
b) our team is not, and will never be again as suitable for that style as it was back in those years

2. or should we try to slightly adjust/change our formation/style/tactics because, again:
a) we need something new because too many teams (especially in Europe) learned how to neutralize us
b) our current set of players is different and is not that suitable for our legendary style

Before someone says that everything is fine, and that we just need to run/press more:
1. Messi will never be Messi from 2006, 2008 or 2010
-- he runs much less, he is older, he lost the motivation
-- he will just never be as good as back then
2. Xavi, the brain of Barcelona, or basically the only guy in the world who can be a successful playmaker in our legendary Tiki-Taka, is old/gone/finished
3. Iniesta is older and is declining
4. Alves is much weaker than back then

So, no.
We just can't suddenly start to run more/press more, play exactly the same as 5 years ago.

1 Season was just a bad luck.
2nd Season with same mistakes, something was already strange.
Last Season was already the 3rd Season with the same "problems".
If it will continue this Season, then surely we have a huge problem and it will be never fixed with a simple: "we just need to run and press more"

Our team is still living in dreams and is locked in past and in famous years from 5 years ago when we had the best team ever and when no one knew yet how to defend against us.

Well said, perfect analysis, i think exactly the same.
I disagree only about Messi. Said briefly, he is paying the effects of our mismanagement, of our incapacity to renew.

I am still convinced that we need a change as did Rijkaard in 2003 and Guardiola in 2008.
Tito-Tata-Lucho... we have not yet accepted that the Guardiola era is over.

 

[Kerrybai]

Well said, perfect analysis, i think exactley the same.
I disagree only about Messi. Said briefly, he is paying the effects of our mismanagement, of our incapacity to renew.

I am still convinced that we need a change as did Rijkaard in 2003 and Guardiola in 2008.
Tito-Tata-Lucho... we have not yet accepted that the Guardiola era is over.

But Lucho is a clear change, he is setting us up as a pragmatic side that puts defence before attack, that's a pretty major change for us. Now just give him time to figure out the attack.

 

[Neeraj]

Agree with a lot of posts here about the problem in our shape/formation/tactics etc. But here's the thing. You could have changed the formation against Malaga 50 times through the game like on Fifa, but if you are as static as we were, it will not matter. I think sometimes we tend to overthink things. The key is to have the players showing energy. Dortmund crushed Arsenal with nothing but energy, they were everywhere. I worry to think what might happen if we play the Dortmund that smashed Arsenal.

So if the team showed some industry, and ran quick, made darting runs, drove forward in quick counters, no bus can stay compact. It's really not that complicated as we tend to make it out sometimes I think. Of course, we still need a good formation, but I would wonder what would have happened if we played with the enthusiasm of a, lets say, Real Madrid, with our players and the same formation - would we have won it fairly easily? Possibly.

 

[linetty]

Lucho figured out the defence and the attack will figure out itself in a couple of weeks.

 

[serghei]

Lucho figured out the defence and the attack will figure out itself in a couple of weeks.

So far, Lucho has figured out the defence in the simplest way possible, by reducing the men we put forward. That is not a solution, that is a compromise. His Barca is pragmatic and less creative than in the past. He is willing to take very few risks, and you can't break a tight defence without taking some risks. You can see that clearly in the pic Ursegor posted, our arrangement going forward is very very cautious.

We were very close to drawing three times in this season debut, and only some individual sparks from Messi and Neymar changed that. I can totally see us losing many points via away draws if we play this conservative.