Barcelona’s poor mid-pitch press combined with Valencia’s ruthlessness gave Marcelino’s side an early lead. Barcelona’s lack of attacking output allowed them to keep it. A late glimmer of hope from Messi was ultimately quashed as Barcelona stumbled out of another trophy. Tactical analysis and match report by Tom Quartly. The Benito Villamarín was the elected […]
LaLiga winners Barcelona relied on individual performances and were forced to adapt their approach along the way. Getafe had great chances to score, but failed to capitalize a below-par Barca, as they lose hold of their fourth spot in the table. Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker. With the league wrapped up […]
The seemingly impossible became reality. Jürgen Klopp’s immaculate tactical tweaks got Liverpool off to a great start and Liverpool managed to survive a handful of Barcelona chances. In the end, Liverpool completed one of the great Champions League comebacks, the final goal coming from an unforgettable moment of guile. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Lionel Messi’s brilliance left Liverpool with a mountain to climb as Barcelona is taking a massive 3-0 lead to Anfield. Contrary to many expectations, Jürgen Klopp chose to take the game to Barcelona and it was pretty much an even contest until late stages, but Liverpool squandered plenty of good opportunities and lacked clinical edge, […]
Despite very brief hope for Manchester United with a promising first five minutes, Barcelona would go on to completely dominate this second leg. Two first half goals from Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a comfortable cushion, and they went on to give a lesson in controlling a game with possession. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
In some ways, this was a game of three parts. Barcelona took an early lead, and looked like suffocating United with their stability in possession. United gained momentum either side of halftime though, making Barcelona look nervous against the high press. Barcelona then managed to slow the game down again in the final stages to […]
In the key game to decide LaLiga’s title race, Barcelona ultimately defeated Atlético. In the first half hour, this was an even match, with a surprisingly proactive Atlético, until Diego Costa was sent off. After the 30th minute, Atlético retreated into a deep block and focused on counterattacks. Only the ever-decisive Suárez and Messi were […]
Espanyol genuinely made life hard for Barcelona at Camp Nou by playing in a very compact and well-functioning 5-3-1-1 formation. Only past the midway point of the second half did the home side find a way to score and this essentially ended the game, after what had been a very interesting, yet one-sided seventy minutes […]
There were a lot of tactical aspects that gave colour to this match. From Betis’ problematic attacking structure to the manipulation of Betis’ center-backs and how Barcelona’s offensive players consistently created space for themselves. All in all however, this match was mostly defined by an outrageously good performance by Lionel Messi, even by his standards. […]
Bruno Génésio’s Lyon went for an ambitious man-for-man approach in the second leg of their tie with FC Barcelona. Because of Lyon’s poor execution of the matching system and the clear division in individual quality, Barcelona were able to comfortably wipe aside the French underdogs. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Barça boss […]