Barcelona Squad Analysis - Midfielders

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 started off well playing the central attacking midfield spot in the 4-2-3-1, but injuries slowed down his progress. His wages are unsustainable and he just doesn’t fit in the 4-3-3 and has to be sold this season. 

Alena

Alena’s case is pretty similar to that of Juan Miranda. He was brought into the first team with promise, performed well and then his progress was stagnated. He has been in and out of the club. His loan spell at Getafe has been difficult, with the club battling with relegation to stay up. Alena has been good, but not really at the level of Barcelona. Considering Alena will turn 24 next year, now seems like the perfect time to cash in on him. 

Rest of the Midfield 

Even before analyzing the stats, my midfield for next season would be De Jong-Pedri-Busquets with Puig-Moriba-Nico as the deputies. The interiors are well sort out, leaving no space for the likes of Alena, Wijnaldum and even Collado who could be played in that role. While the defensive midfield spot is interesting. From what I’m heard of Nico Gonzalez, he seems ready to be an understudy to Busquets and there is also the option of Jandro Orellana. I would like the manager to access these Barça B options during pre season. The other option for the deputy of Busquets is Pjanic. For this I would have to delve into the stats and the playing style of Pjanic. but with Koeman staying it’s highly unlikely Pjanic would stay. The wages are also a factor. Going into the analysis, my main objective would be to study the seasons of our midfielders, looking for the deputy to Busquets and assessing Wijnaldum.

Frenkie De Jong

De Jong has be nothing but sensational this season. For me, he has been Barcelona’s best player bar Messi. De Jong has done almost everything for Barcelona this season, driving the ball from midfield, making runs in behind and filling in various positions. Since playing as an interior De Jong has been immense. He has formed a wonderful connection with Messi as well. Looking at stats, you can see how much of a good ball carrier he is, ranking above 97 percentile for carries, progressive carriers, total carrying distance and progressive carrying distance. He ranks very highly in metrics like dribbles, key passes, progressive passes, through balls and pass completion rate. He brings goals from midfield as well scoring 7 goals this season. Eve despite a very busy season, De Jong has been tireless, playing the most minutes for the club this season. De Jong’s defensive contribution though isn’t really good, while he is not pressing very much, but hopefully we will see that improve. De Jong has enjoyed a truly exceptional season and let’s hope he can shine even brighter next season. 

Pedri

Best young player of the season? Best breakout star? Pedri is in their for every category. Cementing his spot in the Barcelona midfield Pedri as well has enjoyed a brilliant season. Koeman has put real faith in the youngster and this has seen him rack up 37 appearances (9 off the bench), the second most in the Barcelona squad. Seeing his rise from Las Palmas in the Segunda Division to Barcelona has been truly spectacular. Playing with such confidence and maturity, Pedri has fit right into the Barcelona system and perfectly complements De Jong and Busquets, and has formed an incredible duo with Messi. Pedri has 9 goal involvements this season but that’s not his main strength. Just like De Jong, Pedri is an all purpose midfielder. He is pretty much above 85-95 percentile in all major metrics including key passes, through balls, progressive passes, progressive carries, touches, blocks, shot creating actions and passes under pressure. He also complete 3.11 tackles and interceptions per 90. But the four main aspects of Pedri’s game are initiating the counter attack, progressing the ball into the final third and penalty area, creating space for Messi and pressing. Pedri is an absolute mammoth presser ranking above 96 and 99 percentile for pressures among midfielders and forwards respectively. The eye test shows how he creates the space for Messi and also shows how he springs the ball into the forwards while Busquets is still in the defensive third and De Jong is further up the pitch. Several into the penalty box/final third action metrics are dominated by Pedri, including passes, touches, tackles, pressures, carries into the penalty area or in the final third. Pedri is an absolute gem in the Barcelona crown and still only 18 all we can hope is that he gets better and better. 

Riqui Puig 

The La Masia graduate broke into the Barcelona team under Setien. One of Koeman’s criticisms this season has been not playing Puig. It does seem like he has wasted the young gem’s talent. But there were some bright spots in Puig’s season, including his first goal for Barcelona. Whenever Puig does come late in the match, he brings us some real energy. There’s always that smile on his face even despite barely getting game time. I don’t think we can really see anything through his stats. Koeman throws him in when Barcelona are usually losing or have nothing to lose. This is when Puig and the other players go all out. Due to this Puig’s stats might be a bit inflated. He ranks above 95 percentile for progressive carries, passes completed, total progressing distance, key passes, through balls, pressures, dribbles and carries per 90. I don’t think we can read much into these stats. My plea for next season would for Koeman to play Puig more. Coming on for the last 15-25 minutes of the bench and starting the occasional match would be a perfect role for Puig.

Ilaix Moriba

The rise of Moriba has added an extra layer to the Barcelona squad. Still only 19, Moriba is way ahead of schedule. The coming season was supposed to be when he would take part in pre season but now he is sure to be included in the squad. He is a perfect example of how a player can evolve exponentially when the manager puts faith in him. He gives Barcelona a different option, a more direct and physical approach. Again, Moriba does come on as a sub, so it doesn’t make much sense to look at his numbers as they are quite inflated. For next season, I would like to see him continue in this role coming on for the last 30 mins and also getting an occasional start while giving us the different option. 

Now with the 4 interiors done and dusted, I’ll analyse the conundrum of defensive midfield and the potential signings. 

Sergio Busquets 

Busquets’s story this season has been all about his renaissance. The season started really bad in the double pivot. But the switch to the three man midfield brought the Busquets of old back. Further into the season having the security of the back three behind him, Busquets stepped up his level. He is Barcelona’s main progressive passer ranking above 97 percentile for progressive passes. He circulates the ball really good as well attempting 95 passes a game ranking above 99 percentile. He also wins 1.6 ariels duels and 3.7 tackles and interceptions per 90. Surely next season Busquets will be the starting defensive midfielder, but we would need someone to challenge him or be an understudy at the very least. 

Miralem Pjanic 

Pjanic has has a disappointing first season at Barcelona. He hasn’t been trusted by Koeman and has never really grabbed his chance. His showing against his former team might be his only good performance. Considering he has barely made an impact, seeing that he has made 30 appearances this season is quite mind-boggling, while only 12 were starts. He has come on as a sub which again would lead to some inflated stats. But we can clearly see what he brings. He can take on a shot from distance despite playing a deeper role. He also ranks above 98 percentile for progressive passes per 90, although this might be due to him coming on later in the game, it does show the ability to progress the ball with his passing. Pjanic’s defensive output also isn’t good. He hasn’t won the trust of the manager and earns much more than he does deserve. He is a deep lying playmaker and in a traditional Barcelona 4-3-3 there is no place for such a player. Due to variety of reasons listed above, I am of the opinion that Pjanic has to be sold this season. 

Nico Gonzalez 

The promising Galician midfielder has enjoyed a brilliant season with Barça B. A central attacking midfielder by trade, Nico has benefited this season from a switch in position to play in the pivot role. From what I have heard and read of Nico Gonzalez he is pretty much the modern pivot. He can drive the ball from midfield and is very direct making line breaking passes. He presses very well and also gives you the Busquets-Esque feel when he looks to switch play to the wings, but instead plays the ball into the central forward. Nico Gonzalez has grown in prominence this season. The young midfielder has also signed a contract extension till 2024. I think Barcelona should play him this season as an understudy to Busquets and that could see him learn and grow into the role.

Other Options

Here I have listed three other options I would consider, a potential signing, Jandro Orellana and Pedri. I don’t see quite any player that resembles Busquets but Locatelli would be an interesting shout. Jandro Orellana, meanwhile, is a player for whom the plan may be to have him do the pre season with the first team and go from there. Pedri as a pivot I think is a very brave shout. Taking him off the interior spot where he was excellent this season is bold, but Barcelona do have players to fill in there including Puig, Moriba and potentially Wijnaldum. Pedri has more often than not shown his defensive prowess this season and his ability to initiate counter attacks is one quality that could propel him into this role. He has a real understanding of the game and seeing his abilities, I think he can control the game from the pivot role. Although these are only the other options to consider. The plan would be for Busquets to start with Nico as his understudy. 

Wijnaldum

The final midfielder to analyze is Ginni Wijnaldum. Yes, Wijnaldum has joined PSG, but I would like to analyze him and see whether or not he was a missed opportunity. He is of course adored by Koeman. I am of the opinion that bringing in the Dutch midfielder would mean minutes for Puig and Moriba would be hard to come by. Let’s see if my opinion changes after looking at his numbers. Despite being heavily linked with a move away this season Klopp has trusted Wijnaldum playing him in all of the Premier League matches and starting him in all but 4 matches. But the trust hasn’t seem to have been repaid as the midfielder’s numbers are very average. He ranks sub par in several defensive, pressure, carry and passing metrics, while his only real contribution to the game seems to be his energy and his ball circulation. Not quite what Barcelona would want Wijnaldum to bring. He is also reaching the end of his career and bringing in Wijnaldum even if it’s a free transfer doesn’t seem very smart. Missing out on Wijnaldum, I think is a blessing in disguise for Barcelona.

There you have it, all the midfielders at Barcelona assessed along with some potential transfer targets. There's much more awaiting your presence. Check out the next edition of the Barcelona Squad Analysis on forwards right here. Thanks for stopping by, I hope to see you back soon for the next section of the Barcelona Squad Analysis and remember, it's more than a blog.