HOW BARCA CAN TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT

 

      The comprehensive and resounding 0-3 defeat of Real Madrid in the Bernabeu this week was momentous, hugely anticipated and hotly contested, with over 40 challenges and tackles attempted in a match littered with fouls and hard-nose play. Barcelona knocked their eternal rivals out of the Copa Del Rey in their own house (4-1 on aggregate), the second humiliating defeat for Real Madrid in an El Clasico this campaign
       It's got to be said that while possessing the ball in midfield late in the match with the right style and intent, Barcelona didn't feel thoroughly dominant until the floodgates opened in the second half.
      In fact, Barcelona only managed a meager 52% possession over Madrid's 48 and Real Madrid, with little possession in the box or final third.
        Solari's Los Blancos had 14 shots attempted with 4 on target to Barcelona's 2 shots on target  (3rd goal was a harsh own goal as Suarez was there to tap it in regardless, Casmeiro taking away what would've been the Uruguayan's 2nd El Clasico hat trick of the season and Dembele's 2nd assist).           
        In a wild, advantage = Madrid first half, Vinicius and Benzema both were denied by unbelievable saves from Ter Stegen, proving why he's the undisputed best goalkeeper on planet earth (his diving save from a Lucas Vazquez header has to be the pick of the litter).

       Valverde's men rode the waves of attacking threats and kept the ball in a ponderous, anxious fashion as challenges flew in left and right and gaps were closing as quickly as they were opening. Roberto and Rakitic were involved in midfield combat as much as they were in center of the park artistry.

        For 99.9% of football fans for most clubs, that is the best type of match to watch: end to end, full throttle / hell bent for leather recklessness in the name of victory. But for Barca fans, that first half is a symptom of the issues that still exist under the surface of Valverde's Barcelona.
        Too many times does this side tire in the midfield press without the ball and especially when missing the Brazilian  Arthur or the energetic Sergi Roberto being wasted at right back  (Roberto, playing in midfield for the 2nd match out of the last 3, made more than a few probing runs against Madrid, including one where Suarez narrowly missed him from a genius long ball), while even the 26 year old Coutinho shows no sign of rushing into pressing an opponent on the ball.
         This has given us a Barcelona side that can win in a myriad of ways, as well as lose in just as many.....often within the same match, or same passage of play: there are definitely moments this season where the 2nd most dangerous thing the 30+ year old midfield of Busquets, Vidal and Rakitic could do is hold on to the ball in front of the back four, while the 1st is backing off and allowing the opposition to come and attack. When this "Aging Midfield Three" is used to together, both happen and none of the options they give us will gain victory over a top opponent.
         It won't happen.
         It's not about the lack of pace these veterans have in their boots, or how fast they can or can't dribble through opposition pressure, it's all about the speed of passing that has always been what sets the possession play of the Catalans apart from even City, or Liverpool at their most dominant, scintillating best (as we witnessed vs Watford), or of course Bayern Munich' s ball retention as defense tactics.          It's not like David Silva, Xavi or Iniesta, Gerrard, Robert Prosinecki, Rijkaard, the Romanian blitzkrieg Hagi, Jean Tiagana and Luis Fernandez, Thiago Alcantara, Bastian Schweinsteiger or Phillip Lahm were outpacing midfield stalwarts of the past and present with winger-esque pace...it was always the fact that they could out-think their opponents and their feet would respond in kind.
         This is exactly what Barcelona miss out on when Arthur is out of the team. For all their world class ability and panache, Arturo Vidal is there as a bruising, calculating and combative presence, whereas Rakitic is similar and when these two are together on the pitch with Busi, those two gives us nothing as far as penetrating play, let alone what happens when we use that lineup and run into a team that can keep the ball.
      The solution is youth, drive and energy in combination with steel, especially when it comes to pressing. The quicker we press, the sooner we get the ball back and thus, the faster we can circulate possession, work the opposition like dogs and then finally, getting Messi on the rock.

            Arthur's return from injury couldn't come at a better time for this Barcelona midfield aching for quick passing play and dribbling from deep (in front of the back four) to help carry the load forced upon Busquets.   
       Simply put, Busquets has worked harder this season (at the base of midfield) than the last three or four combined. He's also been fouled 135 times in the last calendar year (fouled 23 times in the World Cup, too): these aren't the dives and exaggerations of Sergi's early career, these are bruising / leg tangling and bashing tackles of desperation and violence).                      
      There's been too much demand on Busquets as it is, but expecting him to control the ball at all times, cut through the lines with fantastic probing passes into the front three and also, to work his ass off and win the ball 5-6 times a match in front of the back four, we're asking for one of the most complete midfielders in the game's history to burn himself out before the Champions League quarterfinals have even begun.
        After watching him sprawled about the last few weeks under the malady of  extremely bitter challenges from Houssem Aouar and Casmeiro (both of which made particularly nasty contact on Sergi's feet), it is a necessity that Valverde keep an eye on his prized defensive midfielder.

       In addition to this,  Busquets has seen himself fouled and under intensive pressure not for the first time in his career: but it's the first time we've seen him this exposed, without any help to pass from deep and away from the press efficiently (and in a direction that launches an attack) when Arthur Melo isn't out there.
       One thing that's fascinating is how urgent the press is from Barca when Messi has been missing, rested or injured, then in comparison, how patient the team is to sit back and soak up pressure when Messi is in the team.
        It's simply bizarre.
        Candidly, the Barcelona players have an actual fear of losing (when Messi is MIA) that creates the urgency in their pressing without the ball... whereas with Messi, there's a relaxed "we'll win it in the end because...well, we're better" mentality that has seen us draw and lose to lesser teams this campaign.

         In the big picture: the season is not only about recovering the Champions League as if it were the Holy Grail, it's about dethroning and humiliating Real Madrid any chance we can (5-1, 3-0 and a host of bad Madrid results of their own accord = mission accomplished there) and sending a message that they've been lucky in the Champions League the last few years.
       Volumes of trophies isn't our main goal this season, We shouldn't risk the Champions league for La Liga or worse, the Copa Del Rey final...especially when we've only traveled this far with a host of health problems to our players: Messi himself being injured (twice, including a calf tear recently that's worrying all of us), Pique nursing knee problems, Umtiti just barely coming back from the knee issues that needed a surgery that never happened, Arthur being out with vague muscle injuries, Dembele having just returned, among many others.....While all of the players above plus Alba, Rakitic and Busquets have all clocked 3,000+ minutes on the pitch already for Valverde's 2018/19 team.

      Barcelona have to keep the spine of the team fresh, fit and firing for the Champions League; and to keep Messi healthy, tactics like yesterday's decoy usage of the Argentine could go far in limiting the physical toll on the Barca captain's recovering calf.
       Messi didn't have to attempt a single shot and we beat the defending European champions 3-0.....we not only have the personnel to keep Messi fit and free from the shackles of having to deliver every goal in every match, we have the tactical awareness and the veteran leadership to get results in the least important matches, while Messi can pace himself.
         But make no mistake about it: The Champions League is the goal. The 2nd leg against Lyon at Camp Nou beckons, with a 0-0 scoreline leaving the tie in a very precarious position and with the extremely underrated and dangerous Nabil Fekir returning from suspension for Lyon, this could very well be the first great test of Barcelona's mental strength and character in this edition of the Champions League.
        With another El Clasico (in the league) this weekend, the result of who's going to win, who is going to score, etc upon etc will dominate the headlines. To me, what will really make this match of significant importance is all about which club can keep their players fit, not only during yet another strenuous, physically demanding, intense and violent El Clasico match, but in the matches that follow.
        The fitter the Catalan club's squad stays, the more we'll see the best from players like Arthur, Roberto, Alena, Vidal and Rakitic (the mini break recently seemed to boost the form and speed of the rampant, ageless Croatian's passing in midfield); then, the more defensive aid we can give to Busquets and even Jordi Alba.
      If we do that, it usually means Barcelona wins the match in question, especially when talking about a firing Ousmane Dembele supplying Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez with speed and assists.
       Ousmane Dembele is ready to continue his ascendancy as arguably the second most valuable attacker in the squad. Not only does his pace unlock and exploit gaps or lanes on the wings (furthering Messi's quest for space in the center), his 13 goals and 8 assists (2 assists and an Uncredited direct goal contribution in his last 2 appearances) is proof of his clinical finishing and his high promise in the attacking third alongside Lionel Messi at the peak of his powers (enjoying his greatest season yet) and a resurgent Luis Suarez.
        If Barcelona can keep their players fit, they should have a gigantic opportunity to win the Champions League, especially if the Gala XI is finally used on the pitch for only the 2nd time in Valverde's reign:
GK Ter Stegen
RB Semedo
CB Pique
CB Umtiti
LB Alba
CDM Busquets
RCM Roberto
LCM Arthur
LF Dembele
RF Messi
CF Suarez
       That is the best Champions League lineup available. We can argue until the cows come home about Rakitic over Roberto, But the truth is, Roberto passes quicker and moves faster than the too often fielded Rakitic at this point in the season. Arthur and Roberto together in midfield could spell the end for many teams facing us.

       But if Ernesto Valverde doesn't err on the side of caution with his older, slightly injured stars during meaningless La Liga matches, clubs such as Liverpool, Bayern, Man City, Atletico Madrid or even this pesky, uber-talented Lyon squad, can give them plenty of fits and fight if a 30+ year old midfield three sees continued use in Champions League matches.
       If Valverde thinks veteran experience matters more than tactical perfection, if he feels midfield steel and defensive rigidity are more paramount than driving possession and installing attacks in and around the opposition box, the same premature Champions league exit will surely happen again.
        And there wouldn't be a damn thing Lionel Messi could do about it....