The Barça Analyst

Over the years, Barcelona have been  blessed  with  exceptional attacking  talent. From Henry and Eto, to Neymar and Suarez to Ansu Fati and Griezmann, with of course Messi. Barcelona’s  attack  in the season that has past by had been the  best  in  La Liga , but they  failed  to come big in the  important matches . Barcelona’s ability to  finish of chances has also been  criticized . There have to be some changes made in the forward line, so let’s take a look at these  changes .  Martin Braithwaite  Hardworking .  Professional . These two words define what Braithwaite is. Although many perceive Braithwaite to be a Bartameu panic signing, he is much more that that. He is someone who always  gives his 100%  on the pitch,  works hard  in training and is always trying to improve. His mentality is elite. But I still don’t think he quite has a place in this Barcelona squad. His ...

The midfield has always been the point of excellence for Barcelona. The midfield is what allows Barcelona to play the possession way of football. The midfield ensures Barcelona have control of the game. For this purpose, the midfielders at Barcelona need to be top notch as they have always been.  Coutinho and Matheus Fernandes  Yes, it’s very disrespectful to club these two players together. Different positions and most importantly very different in terms of quality. But both have one thing is common, Barcelona have to get rid of them and no stats or eye test is going to change my opinion on that. For  Matheus Fernandes, there really isn’t a argument, he is simply not at the level of Barcelona , has barely even played this season, was just another classic Bartamao signing and he has to be pushed out of the club. Coutinho on the other hand positionally hasn’t worked out for Barcelona. We have just waited too long now for our record signing to shine. His season st...

The centre of defence for Barcelona in recent seasons has been an area of major concern . Its often the the breakdown  of the defence that has led to the downfall of the whole team. Having an instable backline has often adversely affected Ter Stegen as well. Although the defensive problems can not all be blamed on individuals , the current centre back pairing has to change.  Samuel Umtiti  Let’s be honest, Umtiti’s career has been ruined by injuries . He is earning way too much and isn’t playing. His passing is one aspect of his game that hasn’t deteriorated, but he is a shadow of his former self in very other aspect. I don't see much of need to dive deep into his numbers as he has barely played this, but he is just not good enough for Barcelona. Todibo Todibo on loan at Nice has been good, ranking above 90 percentile in dribbles , progressive carries and tackles . This same time last year, we as Barca fans were crossing our fingers and hoping that Shalke wouldn’t activ...

The fullbacks spot at Barcelona has always been tricky . The fullbacks need to be able to complement the wingers perfectly. Dani Alves used to cover the width when Messi drifted towards the centre. Jordi Alba was able to work brilliantly with Ansu Fati. Alba bombing down the left flank enabled Fati to move more towards goal and play as an inverted winger. Players like Abidal and Sergi Roberto had different roles . Abidal was more of a conservative fullback and Roberto gave Barcelona more control with his play. With Barcelona having several forwards with different profiles, the fullbacks need to be able to fill in various different roles . Right back  Sergiño Dest  The American full back has a good start to his Barcelona career. He has suffered with quite a few injuries but has performed well for Barcelona. A flying full back, Dest completes 1.2 dribbles a game and lays on 1 key pass. When compared with other fullbacks, Dest ranks above 90 percentile for several attributes...

Formation The 3-5-2 Formation Koeman’s switch to the 3-5-2 system helped  turn around  Barcelona’s season. It was the most appropriate formation to get the best out of all the players in the team. But it does have some  inherit defects .   Sophisticated and Specific System The major defect of the system is that it’s a formation you have to stick with. It’s easy to switch between formations when playing a fluid 4-3-3, but the 3-5-2 needs a  particular set of players . Antonio Conte specializes in this system and he does have specific needs. He won the Serie A with Inter and the Premier League with Chelsea. Conte in his 2 years in charge of Chelsea brought in 13 players. Lot of these players who flourished under him, were wasted later in the absence of the 3-5-2 formation. The 3-5-2 is a very  specific type of system , which a club has to stick to long term, at Barcelona it might have been a  good short term solution  but not the formation to move f...