Lliga: FC Barcelona - Eibar 3-0

Schumi said:

Of course, this is partly a function of the way we play, but still.

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No still. When you have a team of players with immense technique, whose passing culture is akin to hivemind and whose tactics is to never give the ball away, you are basically forcing the opponent to ''park the bus''. Unless they also have similar amount of players with immense technique and same mindset, which is NEVER true. Barca needs to deal with this and ''uh oh, they always defend against like this'' complain doesn't fly anymore.

As for today's match, i think they were really good. Surprised seeing the team in such focused, tip-top shape after international break. Pressing was gorgeous and ball movement fast. Defense had some lapses of lost concentration, but nothing i would call ''systemic flaw''. Barca will ALWAYS concede some dangerous counters given their ridiculously high line of defense. The main problem was scoring, because somehow it didn't click right to the end with most movements, especially in first half. Glad we have players that can create/make goal from nothing with couple of brilliant touches and that was what happened.

Why don't we ever try a 4-2-3-1 formation? It would ideally be the most defensively sound and would still be able to contain enough offensive threat and play making ability to break down most teams

Alves - Bartra (Pique) - Mathieu (Vermaelen) - Alba
Busquets - Mascherano
Rakitic (Xavi) - Messi (Neymar) - Iniesta (Neymar)
Suarez (Messi)

We're obviously missing Neymar but then again someone always has to be sacrificed whether it's Xavi or Iniesta or whoever.
Our 4-3-3 is so predictable teams like Malaga can stifle it with relative ease, or just sheer defensive brilliance by putting banks of bodies to make sure all we do is pass to the wings for a useless cross and restart the process x1000 times.
Even a 4-3-2-1 wouldn't be so bad or a 4-1-2-1-2

Gnidrologist said:

No still. When you have a team of players with immense technique, whose passing culture is akin to hivemind and whose tactics is to never give the ball away, you are basically forcing the opponent to ''park the bus''. Unless they also have similar amount of players with immense technique and same mindset, which is NEVER true. Barca needs to deal with this and ''uh oh, they always defend against like this'' complain doesn't fly anymore.

As for today's match, i think they were really good. Surprised seeing the team in such focused, tip-top shape after international break. Pressing was gorgeous and ball movement fast. Defense had some lapses of lost concentration, but nothing i would call ''systemic flaw''. Barca will ALWAYS concede some dangerous counters given their ridiculously high line of defense. The main problem was scoring, because somehow it didn't click right to the end with most movements, especially in first half. Glad we have players that can create/make goal from nothing with couple of brilliant touches and that was what happened.

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Well, the other option is to start playing like Chelsea or Real Madrid. Which as long as we have Messi, Iniesta, Xavi (still a part of our team) and the rest, we are going to be playing a possession-based style of football.

The entry of Suarez into the team will make our style much more effective. You can bet on that! Pedro, Munir, Sandro and before them such great players as Villa (albeit in his twilight) Ibra, Alexis just do/did not have the necessary trickery, ball control and elusiveness that Messi, Suarez and now Neymar possess.

Once our nuclear trident is up and running, teams all over Europe will be shaking in their boots at the mere thought of Barca. It's a bit of a shame (maybe) that Suarez will get his baptism of fire against the European Champions, on their own pitch who are at the same time our eternal rivals! But sooner or later, I think sooner, our uber-trident will be firing on all cylinders.

ScoobySquats said:

Why don't we ever try a 4-2-3-1 formation? It would ideally be the most defensively sound and would still be able to contain enough offensive threat and play making ability to break down most teams

Alves - Bartra (Pique) - Mathieu (Vermaelen) - Alba
Busquets - Mascherano
Rakitic (Xavi) - Messi (Neymar) - Iniesta (Neymar)
Suarez (Messi)

We're obviously missing Neymar but then again someone always has to be sacrificed whether it's Xavi or Iniesta or whoever.
Our 4-3-3 is so predictable teams like Malaga can stifle it with relative ease, or just sheer defensive brilliance by putting banks of bodies to make sure all we do is pass to the wings for a useless cross and restart the process x1000 times.
Even a 4-3-2-1 wouldn't be so bad or a 4-1-2-1-2

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We must definitely use this against the really strong opponents. I was disappointed that Lucho did not adopt this against PSG.

Schumi said:

We must definitely use this against the really strong opponents. I was disappointed that Lucho did not adopt this against PSG.

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Like most people say, our team is incomplete without Suarez, but Lucho dropped the ball against PSG. No reason that Bartra should not be left out for Mascherano as CB. Stick the butcher in the midfield and watch him bully other players far from our third and win it without the fear of a 6'2 Luiz going up against 5'7 Masch...

Schumi said:

We must definitely use this against the really strong opponents. I was disappointed that Lucho did not adopt this against PSG.

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alves ?? pique ??? the lethal weapon-but for us, we have luck to not received 2 goals because those two caracters

ScoobySquats said:

Why don't we ever try a 4-2-3-1 formation? It would ideally be the most defensively sound and would still be able to contain enough offensive threat and play making ability to break down most teams

Alves - Bartra (Pique) - Mathieu (Vermaelen) - Alba
Busquets - Mascherano
Rakitic (Xavi) - Messi (Neymar) - Iniesta (Neymar)
Suarez (Messi)

We're obviously missing Neymar but then again someone always has to be sacrificed whether it's Xavi or Iniesta or whoever.
Our 4-3-3 is so predictable teams like Malaga can stifle it with relative ease, or just sheer defensive brilliance by putting banks of bodies to make sure all we do is pass to the wings for a useless cross and restart the process x1000 times.
Even a 4-3-2-1 wouldn't be so bad or a 4-1-2-1-2

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See now a 4-3-3 is more flexible than you'd realize. NeyD10s is a must and honestly once we get Suarez, I expect us to be much more incisive. A double pivot in the can stifle your creativity a bit and constantly force the ball out wide. A double pivot doesn't really work the way it's supposed to without a tall target man and that's why I doubt we will ever try that with Messi as our pseudo-striker anyway.

In my opinion, Barça's tactics and shape can still dominate, despite opposing teams knowing the blueprint. The key is using the strengths of our players to exploit key tactical aspects of the other team. So a 4-3-3 can still work fine. For example, consider this line-up for away games:

Bravo; Dani-Piqué-Mathieu-Alba; Busi-Mascherano-Rakitic; Messi-Suarez-Neymar

This sort of approach with a highly defensive MF would catch teams off guard by exploiting the wings, and stretching their lines across the pitch. It would be very direct but with quick moves or a long pass that releases one of the forwards. The key here is having a strong tackling MF that can intercept an outlet ball so we can immediately capitalize on the mistake with a quick break.

If we change our formation, it should be more offensive not defensive.

I don't buy the Suarez hype. Not yet. Almost everybody here think he will change everything just by being present. In my mind he will be barely noticable improvement unless the whole offensive play gets a rehaul. You just don't pass the ball along the perimeter, when you have two or three clinical finishers around. You play more directly and don't hog the ball just for the sake of it. Fuck tiki-taka.

Goals, by rac1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHotWnOMReM

Schumi said:

I watch small teams playing against Real Madrid, or Chelsea or Juventus, and they are never nearly as negative as they are against us. Of course, this is partly a function of the way we play, but still.

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They can't play a parked bus vs RM, it doesnt work. You can't close the middle and let open the wing vs RM, because RM (unlike us) is dangerous with cross, they have tall players and good headers. RM have player who can shot from 20-30 meters, unlike us. RM have more weapons than us vs parked bus.

Gnidrologist said:

I don't buy the Suarez hype. Not yet. Almost everybody here think he will change everything just by being present

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Exactly, he is expected like a second coming to earth of Jesus

Well Suarez is easily top 10 in the world if not top 5. Some impact is to be expected from a player with his quality.

What I like about the game is that lucho fixed our pressing. Now instead of pressing like headless chickens high up the pitch, we sat back a little and pressed as a unit in the second half.

first time played bad, better in the second half

MagIX said:

They can't play a parked bus vs RM, it doesnt work. You can't close the middle and let open the wing vs RM, because RM (unlike us) is dangerous with cross, they have tall players and good headers. RM have player who can shot from 20-30 meters, unlike us. RM have more weapons than us vs parked bus.

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You can play against any Team like that and there is a bigger Chance to get something from them when you play defensive then open attacking Football.

pacp_96 said:

Well Suarez is easily top 10 in the world if not top 5. Some impact is to be expected from a player with his quality.

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... and his price