For the past twelve months people have been singing the praises of Pep Gaurdiola's Barcelona team. And to be honest that has been truly deserved. They have played some of the greatest football the world has ever seen, with some of the best players I have ever seen play the game. Messi is, in my opinion, the best player to ever grace the game, and he has some brilliant midfield support in the form of Xavi and Iniesta who have helped make Barcelona a dominant force in Spain and Europe. They pass their opposition out of the game, then press relentlessly to win the ball back. But if a team works out a way to stop their passing game, or break past their pressing defence, what's their plan B?
From what I could gather from their games against Chelsea and Real Madrid, they don't really have one. First of all it's important to notice that Chelsea and Real Madrid had very different ways of combating the Catalan giants. Chelsea stood firm at the back and really stopped the Barcelona players running with the ball, whilst Real Madrid immediately moved the ball to the wings and looked to spread the pressing of the opposition, creating space behind .the defenders. But in both games Barcelona looked lost for ideas, completely bewildered that their total football approach wasn't working.
I would stress again that this is not me saying i don't like Barcelona's plan A. When it works, it's amazing. But because all of their players are good passers and like short sharp passing all around the box, they lack tactical dexterity. None of their attackers could stand up to the physical presence of Ivanovic, Terry or Cahill, and they suffered because of it. I were Gaurdiola I would want to be able to throw on a winger and a tall centre forward with twenty minutes to go to give the defence something to think about. It may also help at times for Barcelona to open the game up at times, but I just think they don't have enough confidence in their defence for that, and if they truly want to be the best team in Europe for seasons to come, they need to sort this out. Having Mascherano at centre back in the Champions League Semi-Final is not the answer.
So although I realise I'm hardly qualified to give transfer advice to one of the best sides in the world, I think the solution is pretty obvious. Sign a couple of robust centre backs, and a strong centre forward. Not a massive change in the culture of Barcelona, but the ability to adapt. It has become blatantly obvious in all sports, not just football, that what makes a good team or individual a great in the sport is the ability to change when their quality is under scrutiny.
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