Luis Enrique

[footyfan]

I disagree, the whole point is to get Iniesta more involved. One of the major causes for Iniesta's inconsistency is he's barely involved. Barca are so under-utilizing the most creative midfielder in the world.

Messi will drift to the center anyway, and likely switch with Suarez. It's really more of a 4-2-1-3, what with Lucho's insistence on playing the wingers so narrow.

 

[Ursegor]

What would you do, if you were the coach? Make the fb's defend more, and the mdf's back to being central?
Maybe a 4-4-2 diamond as Hamzah suggested is the way to go. or 3-4-3.

I haven't thought about what I would do but the formation is not the problem. It's the execution. What we're seeing right now could be described as 4-4-2 diamond anyway. Busquets base, Messi top, Iniesta and Rakitic sides + 2 strikers upfront. Or 4-3-1-2. It's all the same anyway. My problem is that Iniesta should not be closer to Alba than he is to Rakitic and Messi. Lucho seems to be overrating Barca's defensive frailties. We were not that bad last season before Pique and Valdes got injured. After matchday 28 we conceded 22 goals. Atletico conceded 21 and they had the best defense in Europe. And this was without Rakitic's workrate in midfield, without defensive cover in the backline and without Messi pressing. If we had all that last season the defense would have been even better. Without limiting the freedom of the CMs. All I want is the team to play through the middle. I don't know what it is with Barca coaches these days getting the ball wide and letting Alves and Alba cross. Are they underrating the ability of Messi, Iniesta and Co. to combine through the middle? 33 crosses yesterday. About 2 somewhat dangerous from Alba (Messi chest, another Messi where the ball flew past him).

 

[serghei]

This is what we are playing:

This is what we should be playing:

I haven't thought about what I would do but the formation is not the problem. It's the execution.

It is both IMO. Too much wing play, that brings you nothing. Lucho seems to be thinking that the wings are very important. They are not. You get the ball there only when you see space opening up that's when the fullbacks go up and take ownership of that space. Not out of routine.

 

[Flavia]

I disagree, the whole point is to get Iniesta more involved. One of the major causes for Iniesta's inconsistency is he's barely involved. Barca are so under-utilizing the most creative midfielder in the world.

Messi will drift to the center anyway, and likely switch with Suarez. It's really more of a 4-2-1-3, what with Lucho's insistence on playing the wingers so narrow.

Messi is a better creative midfielder than Iniesta, to me. I wouldn't waste him in the rm/rw. Messi behind Suarez will be lethal. And Iniesta plays well in either side, I remember him playing well in the right for spain.

I haven't thought about what I would do but the formation is not the problem. It's the execution. What we're seeing right now could be described as 4-4-2 diamond anyway. Busquets base, Messi top, Iniesta and Rakitic sides + 2 strikers upfront. Or 4-3-1-2. It's all the same anyway. My problem is that Iniesta should not be closer to Alba than he is to Rakitic and Messi. Lucho seems to be overrating Barca's defensive frailties. We were not that bad last season before Pique and Valdes got injured. After matchday 28 we conceded 22 goals. Atletico conceded 21 and they had the best defense in Europe. And this was without Rakitic's workrate in midfield, without defensive cover in the backline and without Messi pressing. If we had all that last season the defense would have been even better. Without limiting the freedom of the CMs. All I want is the team to play through the middle. I don't know what it is with Barca coaches these days getting the ball wide and letting Alves and Alba cross. Are they underrating the ability of Messi, Iniesta and Co. to combine through the middle? 33 crosses yesterday. About 2 somewhat dangerous from Alba (Messi chest, another Messi where the ball flew past him).

Lucho will need to utilize less the fbs for width, then. And keep them at the back, so the cm's won't need to cover for them. He needs to find a balance.

 

[serghei]

Lucho will need to utilize less the fbs for width, then. And keep them at the back, so the cm's won't need to cover for them. He needs to find a balance.

That's his biggest problem. We don't need width. We love short passes and we need a tight center trio both in midfield and in attack.

Messi is a better creative midfielder than Iniesta, to me.

Not for me. Midfielders run 10-11 km. per game and a big part of a midfielder's game is making himself available all the time. Messi runs less off the ball. He needs to go back to attack. Slightly behind Suarez is where he should play.

 

[Irish_Cules]

Width is essential. It doesn't have to be the route of your attack but you need the width to create spaces in the middle. You have to drag defenders out of position in order to create spaces to pass in in the centre. Playing through the centre all the time allows the opposition defence and midfield to shut down the spaces easily.

 

[serghei]

Width is essential. It doesn't have to be the route of your attack but you need the width to create spaces in the middle. You have to drag defenders out of position in order to create spaces to pass in in the centre. Playing through the centre all the time allows the opposition defence and midfield to shut down the spaces easily.

Defenders won't come off from the midle, becaue they have already two players to defend the flank: the RB/LB and RM/LM. The CB pair stays where it is everytime the ball gets played to the wing. In fact, 90% of the time we get the ball to the wings, there is a cross that follows and is handled very well by one of the 2 usually strong CBs the opponent has in the box.

The opponent has the numbers to defend the flanks very well. That's why they leave more space there, because it is a pretty neutral area for a team that sits well and prepared in defence, easy to contain.

 

[Flavia]

That's his biggest problem. We don't need width. We love short passes and we need a tight center trio both in midfield and in attack.

Not for me. Midfielders run 10-11 km. per game and a big part of a midfielder's game is making himself available all the time. Messi runs less off the ball. He needs to go back to attack. Slightly behind Suarez is where he should play.

In a 4-2-3-1, messi would need to be the amf. not the rmf. To play him slighty behind suarez, iniesta would need to be in his usual position, lcm, or they would get in each other's way.

 

[Irish_Cules]

Defenders won't come off from the midle, becaue they have already two players to defend the flank: the RB/LB and RM/LM. The CB pair stays where it is everytime the ball gets played to the wing. In fact, 90% of the time we get the ball to the wings, there is a cross that follows and is handled very well by one of the 2 usually strong CBs the opponent has in the box.

The opponent has the numbers to defend the flanks very well. That's why they leave more space there, because it is a pretty neutral area for a team that sits well and prepared in defence, easy to contain.

I agree that we aren't doing it right at the moment but width is still important. Against Malaga we ran out of ideas and just gave it to the full back to cross. A few years ago Milan's narrow diamond was hugely successful but it still relied on width being provided by the full backs.

 

[Mitchell1978]

I don't get it why he didn't try to change tactics during the 2e half, bring in Xavi, we lacked control in the 2e half.

 

[serghei]

I agree that we aren't doing it right at the moment but width is still important. Against Malaga we ran out of ideas and just gave it to the full back to cross. A few years ago Milan's narrow diamond was hugely successful but it still relied on width being provided by the full backs.

It is important to threaten the wing by having a player that could exploit the space being freed there. In other words, we need to make the opponent to guard the wing as a preventive thing. We need to show our opponents that we can use the wings IF WE WANT TO. But, we shouldn't want to use the wing unless the opponent frees space there. Again, in other words, wings are more for exploting space, than for creating space. Think Iniesta 1-0 Bernabeu from last season. That was vintage 2011 Pep Barca, the whole play, from start to finnish. Or think Milan 1-0 (4-0 game). Here, let's take a image (I edited it a bit and wrote smth on it).

 

[Hamzah]

That's what we had with guardiola, not afraid to play one twos in the middle of the pitch. Or maybe the other teams have figured us out and force us to play it out wide?

 

[serghei]

The thing that is different now is the will to work hard to get in those positions and some tactical errors. We have 7 players in the opponent's last 30m in the above picture. That's 7 of ours vs 8 of theirs (And Messi's himself needs 2-3 dedicated defenders). That's game on. Bus or no bus.

 

[MagIX]

What does it change playing 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3 or.... if the opponent play with 11 defenders in 20-30 meters ? nothing.

Javi Gracia (coach Malaga): "We were strong in the middle and left the wings open. It worked well, especially in defense."

Exactely. 11 defenders in 20-30 meters and absolutely close the middle (our whole game is going from the middle). To cover the whole pitch they have to choose to close the middle or the wings... easy choise when you play against us: middle. Who cares if the wings are open and we can cross ? no dangereous, we are 1.70m tall.
eg they can not do the same against RM, because they have CR, Bale and Benzema, tall players and good headers.

I would add one more thing: we are physically too weak, we are featherweights, especially in front.

With the players we have, is not easy to find a way against parked bus team.

 

[NeyMesSis]

suarez will help