Luis Enrique

[DonAK]

I think you are overestimating Lucho's options re. tactics.
Messi basically has a free role and hardly helps at the back.
Midfield is set up the way it is to support MSN and because there is no more Xavi and Iniesta is close to veteran years.

We can try to play from midfield more and have them more closer together but I doubt how much this would work with these midfielders.

I think we are playing in a different way to before. Our midfield was there to support MSN by bringing the ball to them, but right now, it seems like our midfielders are instructed to play in a more advanced position, right beside MSN.

That's the biggest problem right there, causing unbalance all over the place and putting all the pressure on our CBs, Busi. The midfielders are right now simply not in a position to receive the ball. Our CBs and Busquets have basically no passing options. That's not to say the latter hasn't been bad and made some really wrong decisions too, but the system right now is simply messed up. It's not what it used to be and I don't get what this new tweak by Lucho is supposed to do and how it would work.

I mean, just look here.

Where are Rakitic and Gomes? They're up way too advanced with MSN. It seems like Lucho has instructed all of them to be closer to the goal like it's magically going to make them create more chances. Instead everyone keep stepping on each other's toes and it becomes too crowded when the ball gets forward, which it usually doesn't these days unless Messi drops down deep and drives forward.

Even Lucho said it yesterday. 'Our long balls weren't working'.

But why on earth would you want your CBs to play it long and lose the ball anyway? The shape of the team is more like a 3-1-6 right now. Lucho never played through the midfield, but he certainly never bypassed it completely either like he's doing right now because.....our midfielders are acting like extra forwards. There is simply no midfield now. Even Sergi Roberto is way too advanced up the field for some reason.

[tw]803219783911141376[/tw]

 

[FlaFCB]

I think you are overestimating Lucho's options re. tactics.
Messi basically has a free role and hardly helps at the back.
Midfield is set up the way it is to support MSN and because there is no more Xavi and Iniesta is close to veteran years.

We can try to play from midfield more and have them more closer together but I doubt how much this would work with these midfielders.

It would surely be better than leaving Busi alone, having to cover too much ground, like now. I also think players like Rakitic, or even Gomes and Denis are looking worse than they are, because of those tactics. Rakitic looks lost out there now.

 

[FlaFCB]

I think we are playing in a different way to before. Our midfield was there to support MSN by bringing the ball to them, but right now, it seems like our midfielders are instructed to play in a more advanced position, right beside MSN.

That's the biggest problem right there, causing unbalance all over the place and putting all the pressure on our CBs, Busi. The midfielders are right now simply not in a position to receive the ball. Our CBs and Busquets have basically no passing options. That's not to say the latter hasn't been bad and made some really wrong decisions too, but the system right now is simply messed up. It's not what it used to be and I don't get what this new tweak by Lucho is supposed to do and how it would work.

I mean, just look here.

Where are Rakitic and Gomes? They're up way too advanced with MSN. It seems like Lucho has instructed all of them to be closer to the goal like it's magically going to make them create more chances. Instead everyone keep stepping on each other's toes and it becomes too crowded when the ball gets forward, which it usually doesn't these days unless Messi drops down deep and drives forward.

Even Lucho said it yesterday. 'Our long balls weren't working'.

But why on earth would you want your CBs to play it long and lose the ball anyway? The shape of the team is more like a 3-1-6 right now. Lucho never played through the midfield, but he certainly never bypassed it completely either like he's doing right now because.....our midfielders are acting like extra forwards. There is simply no midfield now. Even Sergi Roberto is way too advanced up the field for some reason.

[tw]803219783911141376[/tw]

That setup also makes it easier for the other team to press. Team regressed a lot since January. Those new tactics are really bad. Licho reverted back to his strange use of midfielders during his 1st 6 months. But now they're not only too wide, they're too upfront as well. And using long balls...

 

[serghei]

A couple of things:

1) We need to think clearer about what our strategy is here. The team is in need of a Kate type of midfielder if we don't plan to press up front or even in midfield. We don't have right now a team that can sit deeper and absorb pressure to play on the counter. The defensive players in midfield that would stop the opponent from advancing and playing on our backline aren't there. Busquets was never that player, Andre Gomes doesn't look good without the ball in defence, Rakitic is in heavy decline for a year almost, Rafinha and Denis aren't disciplined defensively.

So, if the tactic is to keep MSN advanced and defend to play on the counter, you need a more classic DM in the mold of Kante or Mascherano (in his younger days), and also two midfielders that would be very aggressive in defence. It's not possible to absorb pressure with a midfield made of Busi, Gomes and Denis. That's a midfield that works when you have the ball a lot and the possession game functions well.

We can still defend deeper with that midfield if MSN is part of the defensive unit. That is the Bayern game on Camp Nou, where we defended well as a team. But I doubt Lucho can make that work consistently.

2) The way we react when the opponents press us is completely off. There are only two ways to get out of that pressing. One is to develop a fluid system with pretty complex off the ball movement, which is Pep's solution and extremely hard to implement without a predisposition to modern football (which Lucho doesn't have it seems, as he prefers a more rigid, stiffer approach). The 2nd is to not play first station ball, and just skip the crowded area by playing longer. Not from Pique to Alba or Busi, because Alba and Busi are suffocated by heavy marking, but straight to MSN. Longer balls to take out the 4-5-6 players from the the other team that are up the field pressing our backline.

Give instructions to MSN to stay alert at all times when the ball is in defence and don't let them think those are moments when they can rest and stay 2m offside. Exercise longer balls to perfection in trainings, and teams won't be so willing to put in 4-5-6 players near our own 16m box. But if you don't do precise long balls, and you don't move constantly off the ball to ditch the marking, this pressing will kill you.

 

[TornAndFrayed]

Yea, Lucho has lost the plot entirely. When nearly everyone is underperforming at the same time, the coach is to blame.

And that apathy when it comes to substitutions, ffs.

 

[serghei]

Is it me or we're playing incredibly close, in terms of tactics, with Benitez' Madrid this season?

 

[Devils]

The tactics are mind-boggling.

Lucho had Barca playing like an efficient killing machine for the entirety of 2015 and half of 2016. Why he isolating the midfield an crippling the the entire team?

If we lose this weekend, the league will be pretty much out of reach. We have Osasuna away the week after too which is a stadium is are known to drop points at too.

FFS fix it man!

 

[Raketa10]

I just think that him eliminating Aleix Vidal itself is a disaster, he limits the formation to one right back who is Sergi Roberto and he honestly does not show up against even mid-table teams in the RB position along with having Rakitic limited to supporting Sergi on the flank and defending overally which is highly affecting our midfield and formation in general, I think that Luis Enrique and Robert (the director manager) are the ones to blame for our decline.

100% true!

 

[xXKonan]

MD says he talked to the team for 15 mins before training to analyze what problems we had yesterday.

I hope he realizes this has gone a lot longer than just "Yesterday".

 

[Raketa10]

I think we are playing in a different way to before. Our midfield was there to support MSN by bringing the ball to them, but right now, it seems like our midfielders are instructed to play in a more advanced position, right beside MSN.

That's the biggest problem right there, causing unbalance all over the place and putting all the pressure on our CBs, Busi. The midfielders are right now simply not in a position to receive the ball. Our CBs and Busquets have basically no passing options. That's not to say the latter hasn't been bad and made some really wrong decisions too, but the system right now is simply messed up. It's not what it used to be and I don't get what this new tweak by Lucho is supposed to do and how it would work.

I mean, just look here.

Where are Rakitic and Gomes? They're up way too advanced with MSN. It seems like Lucho has instructed all of them to be closer to the goal like it's magically going to make them create more chances. Instead everyone keep stepping on each other's toes and it becomes too crowded when the ball gets forward, which it usually doesn't these days unless Messi drops down deep and drives forward.

Even Lucho said it yesterday. 'Our long balls weren't working'.

But why on earth would you want your CBs to play it long and lose the ball anyway? The shape of the team is more like a 3-1-6 right now. Lucho never played through the midfield, but he certainly never bypassed it completely either like he's doing right now because.....our midfielders are acting like extra forwards. There is simply no midfield now. Even Sergi Roberto is way too advanced up the field for some reason.

[tw]803219783911141376[/tw]

This!!!!

Our midfielders are basically half-wingers! They are taking space of full backs up front and also space of wingers! Because of that messi and neymar tend to drift more and more into the middle! And because of that there is no one in the middle of the field so our defense is making all the playmaking.

Disastrous system! I do not blame players at all. There is no midfielder in the wourld who would play well under this idiotic system. Pogba would play badly like he is playing right now in MUN, same goes for Verratti and Gundogan.

 

[xXKonan]

It feels like Lucho isn't doing a good enough job communicating with the players in regards to fixing the problems.

With a team of intelligent players like Iniesta,Busi,Messi,Pique Masche etc I would think Lucho could afford to sit down and talk with them more and ask how to get things back on track. Busi and Iniesta especially could help Lucho fix the glaring Midfield issues we have.

Nothing wrong with leaning on players for advice and tactical knowledge on how to fix things it's a team sport after all.

 

[Barcilliant]

It feels like Lucho isn't doing a good enough job communicating with the players in regards to fixing the problems.

With a team of intelligent players like Iniesta,Busi,Messi,Pique Masche etc I would think Lucho could afford to sit down and talk with them more and ask how to get things back on track. Busi and Iniesta especially could help Lucho fix the glaring Midfield issues we have.

Nothing wrong with leaning on players for advice and tactical knowledge on how to fix things it's a team sport after all.

Didn't Messi and Xavi fix our issues the last time Luchos job was Under threat?

 

[xXKonan]

Didn't Messi and Xavi fix our issues the last time Luchos job was Under threat?

I remember Messi and Lucho getting into a fight and Xavi having the calm down the whole team.

Lucho quit dicking around and found a XI and fixed the problems we have been having and with Messi telling Suarez to stay in the middle while Messi stayed on the RW causing chaos. this time However I don't see "Drama" yet but going by what DonAK posted.

He's trying to make his already flawed system more "Flexible". It worked during the treble season and the first half of Last season but it's not working anymore so he decided to let our CMs go forward but again no emphasis on creating just "attacking".

However he failed to realize that our DM is not the Conventional DM he keeps thinking he is. Busi doesn't have the Pace,Physicality and Mobility to remotely be effective in this so called new setup and our CMs are to far up the field or sitting on the god damn touch line covering the ass of our Fullbacks.

I view Busi as our Supercomputer. He's there to distribute the ball, Start plays from the back and occasionally pick out a creative pass for Suarez/Messi/Neymar to score. He's been the heart and brains of our Midfield for many years but this season he's been wretched and most of it comes down to Lucho's tactical setup.

Busi is only 28 years old and with the decline of Xavi and with him leaving and Iniesta aging Lucho should have tactically setup the Midfield to cater to his strengths but instead Lucho wants our CM's to be Wingers/Defenders or in this case "attackers" this season,so they are so far apart Busi is left exposed to get manhandled by the other teams.

Busi isn't a Kante/young Mascherano DM. He's our DLP and we should be setting up the Midfield to help cater to his strengths instead of us by passing the damn midfield to get it to MSN as soon as possible. The problems are right in front of us ready to be fixed but Lucho still hasn't realized it yet it seems.

 

[Neeraj]

If we don't improve and get embarrassed further, I'd like a new coach mid season. It is very very unlikely Barca would ever do that, even if it necessary, as the club seems to be quite passive in such things, but there is no point in just lingering on till the end of the season for the sake of it, if it's obvious the season is lost and that the Lucho is gone at the end of the season (which let's face it, is going to be the case irrespective of anything we do going forward).

The advantage of getting someone mid season is that they have half a season of warm up. Instead of having to understand and adjust to the team and cost us points next season, might as well do it now, when the season is all but pretty much lost. At least then, the new manager knows exactly what he needs in the transfer market and can kick off the new season full throttle. Of course, the assumption being made here is that someone we want is actually available mid season, which is another matter altogether..

 

[Lelouch vi Britannia]

Who are we going to get mid season?