Quique Setien finally improved Barcelona by adopting a 4-4-2 formation (with a midfield rhombus) in the 1-4 thrashing on Villarreal on Sunday. The attacking trident of Luis Suarez and Griezmann (as the Catalans’ two more central strikers) in front of a ‘False Midfield 9’ version of Lionel Messi was clearly an improvement which made Barca’s attack much more incisive and effective.
Both Dan and myself debated the ins and outs of Setien’s latest twist of Barcelona’s classic formation in our latest The Barcelona Podcast. While it is clearly still early days, we both felt that the manager may have found the answer to unlock Griezmann’s potential while also placing Messi in a more central role, closer to the opponent’s goal.
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Seeing the much closer on-field connection between Suarez, Griezmann and Messi on Sunday, I honestly believe that Setien would be right to focus his efforts on tweaking his latest 4-4-2 rhombus formation rather than spending any more time hoping for an effective solution to Barca’s more traditional (and purist) 4-3-3.
Setien’s switch to the 4-4-2 (midfield rhombus) formation forced both interior midfielders to be much more disciplined in keeping their position. Sergi Roberto and Arturo Vidal were preferred as starters given their experience, which is probably the only reason why on-form Riqui Puig was benched and used as a supersub instead.
Both full-backs, especially Jordi Alba, had more space to run into when overlapping, enhancing their attacking influence. As a result, they continuously produced dangerous crosses from the by-line into the box, effectively stretching the pitch.
As discussed in a lot more depth and detail in our latest The Barcelona Podcast, the Blaugranes made the ball flow better on Sunday because they based their game on more controlled yet purposeful possession.
Barcelona should still be weary when challenged in the counter, however. Pique and Lenglet were even more vulnerable when the team became longer (due to applying higher pressure upfront), so they needed to align perfectly not only when stepping forward, but also when tracking back.
Against Villarreal, there were a couple of moments when defensive mechanisms weren’t coordinated well enough, and that can’t be the case against major opposition in the future – particularly in the Champions League.
Ultimately, I am pleased to see Setien finally succeeding when trying new tactical solutions. As long as the Santander-born manager can continue to maximise the production of his players, he will have the full support within the dressing room, at board level and within the Catalan’s ultra-demanding fanbase – which would a huge positive moving forward.
Francesc Tomàs is a Catalan columnist featured in ESPN, The Guardian and many others. Born and raised minutes away from the Camp Nou, Francesc has been sharing his opinionated views with thousands of faithful Culer listeners via The Barcelona Podcast since 2017.
