DonAndres's Barca

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DonAndres

Wild Man of Borneo
Note that this is in no way a prediction as some of the tactical changes will likely never happen in real life

Players in: Reus (30m), ter Stegen (15m), I. Martinez (20m), Marquinhos (20m, loaned to Roma), Deulofeu (promoted), Rafinha (promoted)
Total: 85m

Players out: Valdes (12m), Villa (12m), Afellay (10m), Cuenca (loan), JDS (2.5m), Fontas (2.5m), Keirrison (0.75m), Bojan (0m), Roberto (loan), Adriano (15m)
Total: 54.75m

25 man squad:
GK: ter Stegen, Pinto
DF: Alves, Alba, Abidal, Bartra, Pique, Montoya, Puyol, Mascherano, I. Martinez
MF: Cesc, Busquets, Thiago, Xavi, Iniesta, Rafinha, Song,
FW: Alexis, Messi, Pedro, Reus, Tello, Deulofeu,

abELoTOaf9.jpg


Squad Handling:
*all of these rules are under normal circumstances (no major injuries, suspensions, etc.)
Rotation rules- For every standard league game there must be at least 3 changes in the starting lineup for more equitable distribution of playing time
Form- Lineups and playing time will be given based off of current form instead of previous merit or overall popularity
Substitutions- If losing, bring in necessary power subs. if winning, bring in subs for playing time. at least 2-3 substitutions per game
Youth handling- For every game we play against a team in the relegation zone, there must be at least 4 players in the starting lineup younger than 23 and 2 players called up from the B team to start or sub in


Tactics

6 second rule/pressing- this has to be brought back into the system to really strengthen our defense because it cuts off the opposition from threatening at all and forces errors which is exactly what we aim for in defense. Overall team pressing and energy is more likely with rested and energetic players and will really be a major fix to our defensive woes rather than just throwing money away for big name CBs in hopes that one/two transfers can fix everything.

Permanent sweeper (as shown in the formation)- I’ve always really pondered this theory for Barca and it’s something we can bring back from old football that would seriously help our team on counterattacks. 3 stopper defenders (2 fullbacks and 1 CB) are pressuring the opposition attackers as a group and cutting off as many options as possible in a counterattack. The main problem would be how our defense gets spread too thin and can’t handle through-balls, pace, or getting beaten 1v1. Here is where the sweeper comes into play. The sweeper cuts off any behind-the-defense options the opposition are trying to play and helps to keep the structure of the defense strong and by providing cover for each of the defenders if they are being outnumbered or beaten. Having a sweeper cuts out the option for them to play over the top long balls, through balls that pass through our defense with ease, and makes sure they don’t have any space to run into. In theory, it’s a really great fix and if they could create and practice the system constantly then it could work in games extremely well.

Circular movement- This is a pretty simple rule yet it’s been missing from the team this season and that shows to some level. The idea is that whenever player X is in possession, the other teammates in that player’s area will make runs/movement in a fashion that circulates around the player’s passing range/space so that they have a lot of options. To really click it into tiki-taka the team will have to be able to switch runs and movement when the possession changes from player to player. The faster it goes, the more it will be like a swarm of players moving in several directions/ways in and around the defense to get through and create an attacking chance with one/two touch passing. The opposition defense will not be able to maintain their formation as the team gets through/past them and into more advanced positions and ultimately that creates holes and space for us to utilize. The previous barca system is based around high movement in general to create passing options that will eventually lead towards the goal but this circular method will make it more oriented towards the player in possession and helps the team move along a set path towards the goal as a mass so that it’s quicker, more deadly, and less able to be shut out by the opposition.

Outflanking- This is an old method used to topple over and break down the most difficult defenses. The idea is that whenever we face a team with an airtight/bus-like defense that we can’t seem to break, we completely outnumber and outplay them on one flank to get in. It’ll work with Reus becoming a focal point forward in attack, Iniesta drifting a little closer to the left to dictate the attack, Messi staying close to the area to spark chances that lead to goals, and Alba bombing up to provide dominance in width. If they want to maintain their structure and formation, we can easily outplay them on the left and get in to score. If they dare to shove more players on the left to silence us, we’ll have a forward such as Tello on the right to play the ball to in space and score. It’s not something we should use for all games but kind of as a last resort in game change that completely topples the balance of the oppositions defense and makes the team more difficult to stop and unpredictable.
 
Nice, but I'd keep Adriano or replace him (you have about 20m extra). We need the depth, and I'm not sure Alba/Abidal would be enough, since Abidal's old, just recovered from cancer, etc. I'm not sure how much playing time he'd be able to handle, and if he could play big games (so we could be screwed if Alba gets injured). Plus Adriano's a very useful player to have, though he is very injury prone. Not to mention you'll still have enough money to make all of your signings even if you keep Adriano.
 
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DonAndres

Wild Man of Borneo
Montoya is strong on both flanks and can act as a starter/backup whenever necessary, Abidal can play backup , and since my system incorporates youth more I figured that the loss of Adriano could be made up by giving Grimaldo some chances here or there.
 

footyfan

Calma, calma
If I was making a virtual team, I'd pretty much copy your lineup, although I probably wouldn't use a permanent sweeper. I'd also spend the extra 10/20 mil for Hummels/Silva instead of the 20 mil rated Inigo.
 

DonAndres

Wild Man of Borneo
If I was making a virtual team, I'd pretty much copy your lineup, although I probably wouldn't use a permanent sweeper. I'd also spend the extra 10/20 mil for Hummels/Silva instead of the 20 mil rated Inigo.

Hummels seems like a redundant transfer to me with Pique and Bartra there, plus he isn't good at defending counterattacks.

Silva is obviously better than Inigo Martinez but his wage would be much higher and Martinez is a long term option
 
If I was making a virtual team, I'd pretty much copy your lineup, although I probably wouldn't use a permanent sweeper. I'd also spend the extra 10/20 mil for Hummels/Silva instead of the 20 mil rated Inigo.

Yeah, I'd do that too. Spend the extra 20m on someone like Silva instead of either Martinez or Marquinhos. Get Silva as the starter + one of Martinez or Marquinhos for depth and for the future.
 
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DonAndres

Wild Man of Borneo
I can understand why people would want the more quality defender right now but the way I see it, one guy isn't gonna change the entire outlook of the defense and cut out attacks produced by an entire team. That's why I focused more on fixing things on a tactical basis such as pressing to stop attacks from being produced/developed and a sweeper to clean up our problems with counterattacks. Martinez is there as a transfer to provide reliable depth and a strong long term option, not to be an immediate savior/fix.
 

footyfan

Calma, calma
Hummels seems like a redundant transfer to me with Pique and Bartra there, plus he isn't good at defending counterattacks.

Silva is obviously better than Inigo Martinez but his wage would be much higher and Martinez is a long term option

I think one of Hummels and Pique will alter their playing style a bit if they both played together. The main reason I would buy Hummels is that he adds much needed solidity in the air. None of our players are any good at defending corners and set pieces. The only problem would be that both are a bit slow for the counter like you mentioned. On the other hand, we had quite a fast player in Masch yet we sucked at counters.

Silva is great, probably the best, but I've not seen him handling counter-attacking situations either. Neither PSG nor Milan really played a high line in the games that I watched + it's not all about being fast.

I can understand why people would want the more quality defender right now but the way I see it, one guy isn't gonna change the entire outlook of the defense and cut out attacks produced by an entire team. That's why I focused more on fixing things on a tactical basis such as pressing to stop attacks from being produced/developed and a sweeper to clean up our problems with counterattacks. Martinez is there as a transfer to provide reliable depth and a strong long term option, not to be an immediate savior/fix.

The thing with the sweeper is that it leaves too much space because our defence line is already very high.
 

DonAndres

Wild Man of Borneo
If the sweeper does his job correctly, then his presence should be imposing enough to discourage the opposition from even being able to play an option through the main defensive line. It's all about correct positioning to cut off options. Even if there is more space from only having 3 defenders in the line, the areas that can be attacked by the opposition are covered and ultimately stop them from being able to produce anything. Pique has good positioning, so does Bartra. If we get Hummels then he'd be a quality sweeper too. It's one of those old tactical trends that could be brought back to fit our current system.
 

footyfan

Calma, calma
I get your idea, but I'm not sure if the sweeper can handle two really fast wingers + a physically imposing CF at the same time. IMO sweepers are useful when the pace of the game is much slower than it is now. I don't totally expect our full backs to track runs from inside wingers
 
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