Without Messi and no breakthrough wingers, Xavi still played the offensive content he wanted by inserting ribs in front of the small midfield and a large number of team substitutions. But with the double attacking full-backs without the wingers suppressing their opponents, Barca doubled the possession rate of Bilbao, but the number of shots on goal was 7-19 behind. Beaten 3-2 in extra time for two consecutive matches, Xavi's Barca suffered a fatal injury.
01. Harvey's Tactical Board: Always full of offensive imagination
Harvey, as a coach, has the potential to grow into a good coach with great ideas on the offensive end in the near future. However, he still has a long way to go in terms of how to balance the formation and offensive and defensive resources.
After he lost Dembele in this game, the use of Felan Torres and Abd in the winger position did not have the effect of pulling away the width (they tried a total of 4 times, and only succeeded once in total). So Xavi pressed into the 30-meter zone with the wingers through two full-backs and two central defenders, and then played the ribbed attacking opportunities through a large number of substitutions.
As the starting left winger, Ferran Torres is actually standing in a counter-footed position, more often thinking of inward collection. Because Ferran Torres cannot have the ball inside, the premise of no ball in-line is that there is someone standing on the inside line, bringing the opportunity to move in the position. As a result, Barca's centre-back forward position is extremely high, while both full-backs are attacking.
It is clear from the GIF that Alba's pass is the advantage, and Ferran's opening of the offensive width is virtual. The opponent inadvertently, however, was still vacated by Basara in the rib area, but unfortunately Garvey suffered a loss of strength and the final shot (or cross) could not be played well.
Barca's goal of equalizing in the first half came from the opportunity brought by Ferran Torres's no-ball inside. Alba and Garvey attract the attention of their opponents, allowing Phelan to swim into rib space.
After Barca take the ball in front of the penalty area, there are many people who can send a wonderful pass to the core area, and the key is how to open up the space of the opponent's defense. This time by concentrating 4-5 people on the left flank and ribs, the opportunity was finally created.
It can be clearly seen from the GIF that Barca played a very complex and wonderful team routine this time. Without an attacking core like Messi or a breakthrough winger like Dembele, Xavi used the team running position to give Ferran Torres the opportunity to play a beautiful shot after taking the ball in his ribs and successfully equalizing.
02. The flaws on the defensive end cannot be concealed: there are no wingers and no sweeping midfielders
Xavi's thinking on the offensive end is good, the problem is that under Barca's current formation, there are no wingers on the flank to suppress the opponent and open the way for full-back assists.
As a result, Athletic Bilbao's flanks are under little pressure to defend, and their full-backs/wingers, or flankers, are at ease when it comes to offensive and defensive transitions. At the same time, Barca also do not have a sweeping midfielder, which cannot effectively allow the midfielder to move sideways to protect the full-backs.
Bilbao scored from the start, scoring by starting to hit Alba, and then the ball was given to Barca's right back post, with no one to follow up with Munyain. Bilbao on the defensive end, even putting one of the strikers a little further back, as long as the flanks can pick up speed, it is a variety of opportunities.
In this wave of counter-attacks, if it were not for The High Header of Muniain, Nico Williams once again penetrated the Alba defense and could have received a second personal assist.
As can be seen from the statistics, Bilbao winger Nico Williams' success rate is not very high, the problem is that he does not need to pass too often, as long as he accelerates to find the opportunity to play in the Barca backfield. He delivered 1 assist and 4 key passes on goal, or because Barca's defensive logic was flawed.
If it weren't for the inefficient shooting efficiency of the Bilbao strikers in this game, Barca might not really have the opportunity to enter extra time. This time his younger brother Nico Williams' cross found his brother Inaki, but unfortunately the latter flew off the mat.
03. Pedri's growth was a surprise: Barca needed a forward-looking back
Barca had two surprises in this game, one was that Ferran Torres shot well, and the other was that Pedri took the ball and created a threat in the core area.
Barca, a team that plays mainly on offense, either has a core arrow scoring point or needs a front waist. Although Pedri is not yet the number 10, he can also play some appearances.
Barca did not have a big man like Luke De Jong in this game, and the cross was not a tactical threat. So it is necessary to have a front back in the middle to instigate the attack to launch, and Pedri took the ball several times in the middle, which is still very effective. After This time, after The Fallan Torres on the flank, it was important for him to quickly insert a second reception.
Ferran Torres has the advantage of moving and shooting without the ball, but is not good at attacking with the ball. So to make Ferran Torres a threat, you need teammates to cover and intersperse. This time Pedri took the ball in the middle of the road, split the ball, and then inserted the ribs in front of the ball and returned to do it, allowing Ferran to get a similar opportunity to shoot inside in the first half, but unfortunately this time he failed to play well and was blocked by the defender.
In the final moments of regular time, Pedri once again stood in front of the penalty area, then received Alves' mistaken barb and sent the ball into the bottom of the opponent's net with his left foot. It was supposed to be a beautiful game for Pedri, but unfortunately the team didn't win in the end.
Behind doubling the opponent's possession rate is a 7-19 shot disadvantage. If Xavi can't balance attack and defense next, Barca will leave a regret of defeat in more cup games.
Conclusion:
This Barca team has invested a lot in the attacking end, but the team's defensive line does not have the corresponding personal ability to support it. Similarly, the offensive end relies more on teamwork, and the ability to break through defenses is also average. In the days ahead, the team can only count on Pedri, Fati and Ferran Torres to grow as soon as possible and bring more surprises.