Tag Archives: Leo Messi

March 12, 2021 · 8:43 pm

FC Barcelona – Looking ahead to next season

Now that we are out of the Champions League and we have a new President – welcome back Joan Laporta, it is as good a time as any to start looking ahead to next season. Though the team is still in with a shout for the League and has reached the final of the Copa, most fans realise that the current squad is not strong enough to reach the next level – success in Europe.

There is more than enough quality in the current squad to be optimistic, but some serious changes need to be made. This post looks at what these changes might be. Many names have already been mentioned in the media, but usually without any context re. how they would fit into the team.

A starting point for any discussion about incomings and outgoings needs to be how will the team be organised on the pitch. No-one really knows and adding to this uncertainty is whether Koeman himself will still be the coach for next season.

Still a choice has to be made and for the purpose of this post I am going to assume that Barça will continue to play in the formation they are currently using. This has a back line of three centre backs, a defensive midfielder and two attacking midfielders. Instead of wingers this system uses two attacking wing backs. Up front there is only one out and out striker. The picture is completed with Messi in a free role.

On the whole this formation has worked well when used. It has one plus and a couple of minuses. The plus is the greater security defensively. This comes in large part from using full backs as wing backs – Dest and Alba to be precise. They are more reliable at tracking back and helping the defence.

The disadvantages are twofold – a reliance on Messi and a reduced goal threat.  This was clearly evident in the match against PSG.  Messi has a unique role in the team, he can play more or less wherever he wants and is the principal playmaker and also the main goal scorer. Dembélé is an amazing player, his ability to run at and through the defence can cause havoc and panic in the opposition. With him as the sole striker the team gains in pace, but loses out on goal scoring effectiveness, as he is most definitely not a reliable finisher.

The rest of the positions are, barring injuries, well covered at least in terms of first choice.  Ter Stegen remains one of the world’s best goalies. Araujo, Piqué and Lenglet make up a reliable back three. The problems come when they are unavailable.  Mingueza is fine, but Umtiti is no longer good enough for this level.  The anticipated arrival of García will help. If the club can offload Umtiti, there will be space for someone like Alaba to strengthen the defence.

It is pretty similar when it comes to the midfield three – Busquets, De Jong and Pedri make up a well balanced midfield. However there is little in the way of reliable cover. Pjaniç has so far failed to convince as the alternative to Busquets. De Jong may be the long term replacement, but for the moment is needed more as one of the attacking players. Alternatives to De Jong in this role are also thin on the ground. Sergi Roberto can play in that position, but is more of a back up than a serious challenger to De Jong. Ilaix Moriba from the B team has recently burst on the scene and has done well and has the characteristics – pace, physique and control to become a first choice player. However he is only 18 years old and may have to be content to come on as a substitute. Pedri has in his first season become indispensable for Koeman, whatever system he uses. He fits in perfectly to the current formation. However there does not seem to be anyone else in the squad who can replace him, let alone challenge him for first choice. Riqui Puig would seem to be the natural alternative, but Koeman clearly does not rate him highly enough. Interestingly Ilaix has come on for Pedri instead of Riqui. Even though Ilaix is a different type of player. 

With Ilaix and Sergio Roberto the position of De Jong is reasonably covered.  That of Pedri is not. Not sure if there is anyone available with the kind of skill set that Pedri has. At least not for a transfer fee that Barça could afford.  There may be someone in the B team who could step up, much as Ilaix has done.

Dest and Alba are very good in their new, wing back role. Once again there is not too much in the way of cover. Mingueza can play in this role instead of Dest, but is less skilful in attack. He is also more likely to be used in defence. On the other side there is also no cover for Alba as a wing back. Junior Firpo should be a good fit for this role, but like Riqui Puig, does not seem to have the confidence of Koeman.  Of course, an alternative is not to use full backs in this role. A more natural attacking player, a winger for example, can also play in this position, if they can be relied upon to track back and help the defence.

As regards the sole striker, this is where Barça is in the greatest need of renewal. No-one in the current squad has the combination of pace, control and goal scoring reliability to successfully play this role. Dembélé is not a pure finisher, while Griezman lacks the pace for this role. Ansu Fati, if he fully recovers, could fit in here, but the jury is still out on whether her has the reliable goal scoring touch. He is also better used elsewhere in the team. For these reasons it is easy to see why so many fans would love to see Erling Haaland as the club’s major signing. He does have the combination of skills necessary for this role. Haaland could play in just about any formation, so his signing makes eminent sense. Can the club afford to buy him? Given the huge debt the club has, this will prove to be Laporta’s biggest challenge.

Then we come to Messi, another challenge for Laporta. Will he go, will he stay? A bit like last year, with the key difference that this time he can go and if he does, he will go for free.  Messi it has to be said is irreplaceable. It will be a long time before someone with his skill set comes along again. If he stays then the current formation, with the arrival of Haaland or someone similar, could be very successful. 

If, on the other hand, Messi decides to go, then it becomes a different ball game. Barça do have a couple of players who can play in that advanced free to roam position. None of course has the range of skills that Messi has. Pedri has the close control, passing and vision, but is no goal scorer at all. Someone would then have to fill Pedri’s current position. So, possible, but unlikely. The player most suited for this position is Griezmann as it is his natural position. He has good control, passing and vision and is a good, reliable goal scorer. He lacks pace though. But still for me would be the best option is Messi leaves.

Whether Messi goes or stays, the big problem for the team is the lack of goals. Messi plus Haaland would help, but would the two of them alone be enough. Here it is worth looking back at the more successful of Barça teams. One of the most noticeable features of these teams is that they all had three reliable goal scorers, two of whom played wide, either as wingers or starting from a wide position.  Think of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, the last time Barça won the Champions League. Or go back to Pedro, Messi and Henry, or even further back to Figo, Kluivert and Rivaldo.

Of course, just have three goal scorers, even three as prolific as Messi, Suarez and Neymar does not in itself guarantee success. Otherwise Barça would have won the Champions League at least two or three more times. Which brings me back to wing backs. If Barça are to stick with this line up, then I feel at least one of the wing backs should be a natural attacking winger. The current squad has three to chose from – Dembélé, Trincão and Ansu Fati.  They all bring different skills and some goal threat. Ansu Fati is probably the most reliable in that regard. A lot will depend on his recovery from injury.  Such an approach would give the team much greater flexibility than at present.

So, to recap, as regards new signings, the priority has to be an out and out central striker. Haaland or Lukaku would be wonderful, if either could be persuaded or afforded. If neither can come there doesn’t seem to be any other reliable options. Someone like Depay may be more affordable, but he seems to me to more like Griezmann in the way he plays.

If García is already pretty much signed and sealed, another central defender would be good, but only if he can play on the left. The club would probably first have to persuade Umtiti to move on. But given his injuries who would pay his elevated salary.  As regards wing backs/full backs much will depend on whether the coach will always want to use a full back in this role. If so, will he persevere with Firpo, try and sign someone else or promote someone from the B team?

Given the lack of money I do not foresee many other changes. Any other signings would depend in the first instance on moving on some of the current squad. Umtiti has already been mentioned  and it is pretty much assumed that Neto and Coutinho will also leave the club. Braithwaite is likely to join them and Junior Firpo may also leave. His name is frequently mentioned as one to move on. Riqui Puig was expected to be the next Barça star, but for whatever reason this has not happened and his future at the club is very marginal. He doesn’t want to leave, but staying on will do little for his game. Sergi Roberto and Pjaniç are another two to watch. Neither is assured a starting place and the club may reckon they could manage well without one of them.

Up front it is more confusing. If the coach sticks with wing backs and using the full backs in that role, a few players suddenly become redundant. Especially if the club does succeed in signing someone like Haaland. I think the club would want to keep Ansu Fati, if he fully recovers, which would leave the future of Trincão and Dembélé in the air. Whether Messi goes or stays, i think it likely that Griezmann will stay.  Either to replace Messi or as cover for him if he stays.

We may get a better idea of Koeman’s thinking over the next few weeks. And if he goes, then everything is up in the air again. A long summer awaits us all.

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December 10, 2020 · 11:52 am

FC Barcelona – Progress Report

These are difficult times for Barça and fans. An, at best, stuttering start to the season, culminating in an unexpected 3-0 loss at home to Juventus in the Champions League. What has gone wrong? Let’s look at some of the possible explanations.

At the institutional level there has been turmoil, uncertainty and much criticism for some time. President Bartomeu had been under pretty much incessant attack for over a year or more. He finally succumbed to this pressure and resigned. The club is now under an interim junta, unable to take long term or costly measures. At least seven candidates are planning to stand for election which will be early in January.

Until then no-one really knows what the immediate, let alone, long term future of the club will be.  This uncertainty at boardroom level may have negatively impacted on some players and even on the current coach, Ronald Koeman. Clearly he does not know how long he will be in charge of the team.

I don’t think this is a major factor in the team’s erratic performances. All are professionals and their own future is also at stake. Not giving 100% not only damages the team, but would also decrease a player’s chances  of securing an enhanced deal, either at Barça or another club. So, I think we need to look elsewhere for explanations of these poor performances.

To some extent the poor results, as opposed to performances, are more to do with individual errors. These can happen to any team, but there have been too many recently and they have cost the club dearly in terms of lost points. Difficult to know why this is happening. This is not mainly about a collective defensive failure, as many of the most costly errors have been individual.

Injuries to key players have undoubtedly had a detrimental effect on the team’s performances. The long term loss of Piqué and Ansu Fati in particular has been significant. Injuries to other key players have come at inopportune moments, Dembélé the latest. Still a club as big as Barça should not be so badly affected by these injuries.

A number of commentators have insisted that the team’s new formation – 4-2-3-1 is at the root of the problems. The argument is that the more traditional 4-3-3 formation is better suited and more effective for the team. I have to disagree with this view. Firstly there is actually very little difference between the two systems. In the case of Barça and all attack minded teams, both formations rely on two wide players and a centre forward. The wide players are either wingers, think of Neymar, Dembélé  or Ronaldinho, or forwards who can play on the wing, think of David Villa, Henry or Fati. A top class centre forward completes the attacking trio, think of Suárez or Etoo.

The only difference lies in midfield. With 4-3-3, there is one central/holding/defensive player, think of Busquets, with two creative, attacking players, think of Xavi and Iniesta. With 4-2-3-1, there are two central players, think of Busquets, De Jong, and only one attacking, link player, think of Griezman, Coutinho.

The difficulty for the coach, whoever he is, is that the current squad has too many players whose preferred and best position is more or less the same. This is as the attacking/link player in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Griezman, Coutinho, Pedri and Messi, all prefer to play in this role. And of course, only one can do so. There is only one genuine centre forward – Braithwaite, who good though he is, is perhaps not quite the top class striker needed for this position with Barça.

As regards wingers/genuine wide players, the club started the season with three contenders – Fati, Dembélé and new signing Trincâo. Fati is out long term, Dembélé is still injury prone, while Trincâo has not been used regularly. Faced with this prospect of only one genuine winger, Koeman has regular played one of Griezman, Coutinho, Pedri and Messi as a nominal wide player. Sometimes two of them play wide. I say nominal, because none of them stay wide very much. They all tend to come inside. This can, and often does, lead to a great deal of overcrowding in the centre of the attack. Lots of attempts at intricate passing, but little in the way of goal scoring chances.

What all this means is that to play players in their preferred, most effective positions, a good number of very good players have to be left on the bench. If Braithwaite plays as the centre forward and Dembélé and Trincâo play on the wings, there is space for only one of Griezman, Coutinho, Pedri and Messi. So, it is easy to understand why Koeman has to try and juggle his players into an effective attacking unit.

Messi, it will be noticed, doesn’t for me easily fit into a 4-2-3-1 formation. He is not disciplined enough for me to be played either wide right or as the attacking link player. He doesn’t fully defend and is a bit too self indulgent in possession. The one place where he can still use his brilliance is in the centre forward role, or false nine, as it is sometimes known. He has successfully played there before. It would give him lots of freedom for movement and to link with Griezman.

When it comes to a 4-3-3 formation, the above comments on the front three still stand. You play two wingers and either Messi or Braithwaite in the centre.  With two creative, attacking midfielders, you now have more options there. For these positions the club has Coutinho, Pedri, Aleñá, Puig, De Jong andSergi Roberto. For the one central midfield role, the coach has Busquets, De Jong and Pjaniç. De Jong as noted can also play as an attacking midfielder.

The big loser with this formation is Griezman, as his preferred role has disappeared. There is the same problem with the other formation, namely that the squad has only two genuine wide players, Dembélé and Trincâo. One of whom is injury prone and the other is still adapting to playing for Barça.

To sum all this up, I do not think the main issue for the club is the formation. The root problem is that Koeman has inherited an unbalanced squad, which has been made worse by serious injuries to key players. Looking ahead, there are a number of decisions the new board and coach really need to take. Depending on which formation they want they need to sell either Coutinho or Griezman. They don’t play well together, and Griezman is much the better player in a 4-2-3-1 formation. If they opt for a 4-3-3 system then Griezman doesn’t fit in at all.

Whichever formation they plump for, Barça are traditionally most effective when playing with two genuine wide players. Hopefully Fati will return fully recovered and Trincâo will have started to fulfil his potential. If Dembélé can remain fully fit, he could become a star for the team. Can the club rely on his fitness though? Konrad de la Fuente from the B team may be another star in the making. If not, the club should sign a top class wide player.

As regards the centre forward position, the club do need a top class, reliable goal scorer. Braithwaite is a very good reserve, but the team needs someone else as first choice. Messi can play there, but he probably doesn’t want to and is unlikely to be a long term solution. Perish the thought, but I tend to agree with those who think it would have been better for all concerned if the club had kept Luis Suárez and sold Messi in the summer. The squad would be slightly better balanced and the club would be in a bit less of financial trouble.

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