I have started this weeks blogpost with the boldest of all statements and one which puts my tactical knowledge to the test. How to beat Barcelona? Has become one of those questions that have become as philosophical as what is the meaning of life? A team that plays football the right way and can be absolutely devastating to watch. Johan Cruyff's 'Total Football' pilgrimage has enable Barcelona to instil a style of play from youth team to first team which has spawned a legacy of world class footballers. They are so comfortable on the ball and the fluidity between player positions make it almost impossible to workout a game plan that can shut them down. Not only are they awesome in attack, it is when they lose possession when we best see 'Total Football' at its best. The mentality of 'get possession back as fast as you can' makes Mourinho's apparent genius dispondent and allows lesser teams to be picked off at will. I could talk about the players for days however, we have all heard about that, so let's identify their weaknesses.
Do they have any? I believe that they always had two main weaknesses which were in the full back area; Alves because he plays like a right winger and the right players could exploit that given the chance, Abidal because he should be a central defender and is the most flat footed out of the Barca team. This season I have identified one more; Cesc Fabregas. Don't get me wrong Fabregas is an exceptional player but the decision to sign him had more of a romance to it than a need to sign a quality midfielder. Due to his similar traits with Xavi and Iniesta it has effected their she and the fluidity within the midfield has become top heavy hence why a lot of goals they have conceded have come from just outside the box. For example, Roque Santa Cruz's strike at the Nou Camp. That, added with the full backs being potentially an area of exploitation, a team with a decent set of attacking players could cause them problems.
I mean firstly, you have to deal with the attacking players and that starts with Lionel Messi. There is no point man marking him as it will be like playing with ten men. Instead playing two zonal defence minded midfield players may help, with one acting as a floater between behind the back four and in front. That brings me on to. Y ext point and that is the recurring pattern of counter attacking football they play. A great example of this was in the Champions League final as Pedro's goal came from this. Using the three midfield players allows for some width in the middle of the park which inadvertently draws the full back inside. Dani Alves, Pedro, Messi or Sanchez then fill this space and have a clear run to the byline or an opportunity to cut in and attack the inside. A floating defence minded midfielder could counter this by filing in the space left by the full back and break up play and could potentially start a counter attack. You only have to do this a few times at be beginning of a game and cause them slight problems for them to tighten it up at the back, restricting their attack g options and thus stifling their play.
Over the next few weeks I will be choosing different teams and lining them up in a fashion to potentially challenge Barcelona. This first example, I am going to make my life a bit easier by selecting a team very similar; Manchester City. I would line the up as follows; Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta, De Jong, Yaya Toure, Milner, Silva, Auguero and Balotelli.
A strong powerful midfield against three smaller players (unless busquests is playing) and lets face it these are not midfielders who just slug it forward. De Jong would be the floater based on his tactical awareness and defensive positioning. Yaya Toure would be zonal based on his size, pace and power. Milner would be there to mop up any loose play and to counter defend the third midfielder whomever that may be. He could also start attacks. The forward players are just as fluid as Barcelona's, if not more depending on David Villa. The attacking full backs would not know which attacker was playing on the wing, dropping off or going through the centre. Kind of a bit like what Barca do to other teams. With Silva, he could be the player that could exploit the marauding Alves and could set Balotelli and Aguero away. The one player I think I have selected that may come under scrutiny from some people may be my decision to play Zabaleta at right back, well allow me to justify. A player that could cope against an attacking threat from Alves and one that due to being naturally right sided wont be sucked inside as often. His versatility could also act in a fluid motion between himself and De Jong if he is breaking play up. Playing Clichy and Kolarov would be great at home if City decided to have a go but away from home it would be suicide.
So there you have it, my thoughts on how to beat Barcelona. Of course its easy for me to just say it but I reckon it could work with some practice. Man United I believe nearly cracked it but I feel they came unstuck in the middle of the park and in the full back area, where I believe are areas that need exploiting! Feel free to follow me on twitter @kriswwalker and keep a look out for the next instalment of KWTV which will be a film channel. This coming week I will talking about Tevez, Kenny Dalglish and Torres, as well as selecting another team to beat Barcelona! Feel free to make suggestions of teams that could beat Barcelona on twitter and I'll have a go! Stay classy! @kriswwalker
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