Do Barcelona really need to be the protagonists every game?

Playing badly and still winning has been the talk of the town over in Catalonia as of late. Those 1:0 victories were never exactly thrilling but they got the job done. Barely, but they did. Tonight, however, we saw glimpses of the Barcelona we want to see every week: imposing, dominant, confident and protagonistic. Most of the time.

I say most of the time because Real Madrid still had their chances, of course, as they always do in a Clasico. They are where they are in world football for a reason. But just as they were shooting blanks in their most recent 1:0 defeat in the Copa, they were reduced to a similarly poor display at the Camp Nou this evening. Only this time, Barcelona actually controlled the ball, rather than just controlling the space. And this means we saw a far different Barça overall.

It also begs the question: do Barcelona really need to be the protagonist in every game? Well, it’s complicated. But generally, yes, yes they do. The reason is rather simple - being the protagonist, dominating, controlling the tempo and, as such, the game itself, is not only a part of the overarching philosophy of the club but, more importantly, is playing to their players’ greatest strengths.

It’s more difficult to control games when Pedri is missing but it’s also not impossible. Or rather, it shouldn’t be. If it still is, Xavi has a much bigger problem than just missing a player. Even if we acknowledge that Barcelona’s defending has been exceptional and their pressing a big weapon of chance-creation, not just a defensive tool, having the ball is still the priority. After all, being in possession is the greatest defensive mechanism you can have in the game.

But without the protagonism that was demonstrated tonight, it’s unlikely we would’ve seen the same result. ‘What about the Copa victory?’, you might say. Games like that one can be outliers; situational and at best, sporadic. Playing badly and still winning may be a trait of a champion but the champion certainly doesn’t constantly play badly and win. He wins because he’s the better competitor most of the time at the very least.

Barcelona have been at the receiving end of such games for years upon years but this season, they’ve given the opposition the taste of their own medicine more than just once. However, one has to question the sustainability and long-term effects of that approach. Yes, it’s been effective thus far but it will never get the best out of Barcelona’s players. Gavi, Balde, Frenkie de Jong, Busquets, Raphinha, Pedri and Robert Lewandowski are all examples of players who would rather make the opposition chase the ball than chase it themselves. When do you think their characteristics shine the most? Exactly, in possession.

Tonight, Barcelona did a lot of damage to Real Madrid just by accessing the free man and combing on the left side of the pitch. Yes, Raphinha may have been the main man in attack once more but the build-up was again left-side focused. With De Jong and Busquets forming a double pivot ahead of the back three, it forced Real into a lot of decision-making and reshuffling. They pressed in a variation of a 4-4-2 diamond, sometimes resembling a 4-3-3 too, but largely with two forwards and a midfielder joining them.

This meant Barcelona could easily achieve an overload in the first phase through their 3-2 structure. That also prompted another Real midfielder to jump up to press, in turn leaving the third midfielder, usually Toni Kroos, alone marking both Sergi Roberto and the inverting Gavi. That was Barcelona’s ticket to progression, the final third and ultimately, the box. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen it bear fruit often enough.

The timing and the movement weren’t always correct and Frenkie and Gavi would often be in each other’s way rather than complementing one another. Timing is everything in football and that’s still one aspect Gavi has to fully master.

But what the left-side combination did enable was bypassing the press and Barcelona’s patience in midfield also enhanced their ball retention. As a result, we saw them pinning their opponent down and bombarding them with attack after attack. This was an improvement on some of their biggest flaws as of late. Another key piece of the jigsaw was the high press.

Madrid did find ways to break it occasionally but counter-pressing effectively and smothering Los Blancos in their own half was a great chance-creation tool tonight. That, too, is a form of control. Pressing is considered a defensive action but in reality, it’s a very effective form of territory control. Through their superior ball retention under pressure and excellent pressing, Barcelona ensured the field was tilted in their favour and Real were pinned in their first third of the pitch as often as humanly possible.

That is how you optimise your chances of winning: be confident and patient with the ball and aggressive and organised without it. Tonight, Barcelona were far from flawless and it showed in the moments Real cut through them and made the game more akin to a basketball match. Simply allowing that to happen is allowing the opponent to play on their terms, not yours. But tonight is about celebration and tonight is about positivity so I will end on such a note.

Barcelona who are the protagonist will always be superior to Barcelona who yield control. We saw it tonight, we saw it on countless nights before and we will see it on countless nights more in the future.

This Barcelona - the protagonist Barcelona - is the Barcelona that can and will win titles. And they will do it their own way.