Tactics
Are Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres key to Barcelona's success at Old Trafford?
Xavi's box midfield has been effective. But against United in the Europa League the first leg was a tactical failure.
Latest
Tactics
Manipulation, isolation and dynamic superiority: Inside Xavi's brilliant mind
Xavi has a brilliant football mind. Can he temper that with man management and match experience to evolve into an elite coach?
Tactics
Raphinha & the annihilation of the offside line
Raphinha is the master of the parallel run and we’ve already seen him reap the benefits of its (almost) unstoppable nature.
Tactics
All that glitters is not gold: Xavi Hernández and the optimisation of the Barca project
Xavi has now had the worst start of any Barcelona coach with 50+ games since as early as 2001. 50 games, 28 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats amount to a 56% win rate. Quite clearly, for a club of Barcelona’s aspirations, it is severely lacking.
Opinion
The truth behind Barcelona's triumphant transfer window
Barca are still in the red. But they sold some future assets to give the squad a decent facelift which papers over the cracks for now. This is by no means an escape.
Review
Taming the Chaos: Making sense of Barcelona's madness against Real Sociedad
Xavi still needs time to finesse his style, but this was a good example of his adjusting tactically as the game grew
Tactics
Xavi's wide conundrum & the Raphinha-Dembélé experiment
The Frenchman is far more effective on the right while Raphinha turns into a creator on the left, but maybe there is a case for him to be a more central player
Tactics
Verticality, intensity and defensive awareness are destroying Xavi's progress at Barcelona
Xavi's vertical approach sacrificed control and short-passing for quicker transitions. For a young team this led to rushed decisions, and disjointed buildup.
Profile
Ansu Fati : The search for the new Barcelona no.9
Ansu Fati has elite instincts as a number 9, exploiting space between defenders with well-timed runs. coupled with clinical finishing
BarcaFutbol,
Ferran Torres and the art of elite movement
Some things in football are very difficult to quantify. For example, how does one properly assess the importance of a morale boost? Or how do you use data to show the true value of negative passing? Often, there are things happening in the background many don’t notice that ultimately
Profile
Inverting the script: Xavi's formula to unleash Sergiño Dest at Barcelona
Dest’s driving with the ball. Progressive runs, in particular, are something that immediately catches the eye when you watch him play.
Tactics
Is Arteta's Arsenal blueprint the solution to Barcelona's midfield conundrum?
Both teams have a penetrative left-back option that overlaps the inverted left-winger, a 1v1 specialist on the right with a right-back who cuts in to become a false pivot or interior.