The first time as manager to visit the Bernabeu, Xavi led Barca to a 4-0 victory, and even a scene in which Real Madrid fans exited in the 54th minute. With the first victory of the national derby, Harvey proved his coaching ability. So how did he complete the transformation of Barcelona in 4 months?
In November 2021, at the age of 42, Harvey returned to Camp Nou. In contrast to the much-maligned Koeman, Xavi is warmly sought after by Barca fans. However, no one knows what kind of coaching ability Harvey has. After all, the level of the Qatari league is far from comparable to La Liga.
Needless to say, Xavi's return has inspired the players' confidence, and he has quickly helped Barca find their own TACTICS. Since November, the "Xavi effect" has gradually emerged, and Pedri's return from injury and the addition of strong reinforcements such as Aubameyang and Ferran Torres have gradually put Barca on the right track.
Three big data soared
In terms of results, after Xavi's return, Barca, who played one less game, have scored 37 points in La Liga, second only to Real Madrid with 39 points in the same period, followed by Villarreal (30 points) and Sevilla (29 points). Since 23 January, Barca have remained unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions.
Compared to Koeman, Harvey's tactics are stronger at controlling the ball, with 28.7 percent possession in the offensive three zones, a 39 percent increase over Koeman's coaching. Possession in midfield reached 30.9 per cent, a 61 per cent increase over Koeman's coaching time. Conversely, barca have seen a 18 per cent drop in counter-attack, which is enough to show the huge gap between the two men's tactics.
Different tactics have also made Barca's performance a qualitative improvement. In 13 games coached by Koeman, Barca have won five, drawn and lost five, averaging just 1.23 goals per game, conceding 1.31 goals and averaging 11.15 shots per game.
After Xavi took charge, Barca won 14 wins, drew 7 and lost 4 of their 25 games, averaging 1.9 goals per game, conceding 1.1 goals and averaging 15 shots per game. On both ends of the offensive and defensive lines, Harvey is significantly better than Koeman.
Judging from the heat map of the game, after Xavi took charge, Barca had significantly longer possession of the ball, touched the ball more times in the opponent's penalty area, and the attack center of gravity was closer to the attacking third zone.
The data shows that 21% of Barça's passes are done in the third offensive zone, averaging nearly 400 forward passes per game, creating 5 scoring opportunities per game, and 3.5 players participating in each attack, these data reflect Barca's tactics are more offensive and more aggressive in the offensive three zones.
At the same time, Barca's new winter window signings have also played an important role. Adama averaged 2.6 breaks per game, Aubameyang averaged 1.2 goals per game, 1.92 shots on target per game and 3.5 sprints above 28.5 km/h. Despite the need for improvements in shooting accuracy, Ferran Torres also showed his versatility.
Equally important is Pedri's return and Dembele's gradual return to form. The former averaged 63.2 offensive moves per game, averaging 3.3 passes behind defenders, while the latter had 19 passes in all three offensive zones.
Since Xavi took over, Dembele has delivered 12 assists in La Liga, more than Valverde and Koeman combined in 65 games. In 2022, Dembele has already delivered seven assists in the league, topping the top five leagues.
Comparing the goals and shooting positions of Koeman and Xavi when they were in charge, it can be found that after the latter took charge, Barca's number of shots increased significantly, and the shooting area was more even.
Tactics: Pass control returns
Harvey's tactics emphasized passing, something That Koeman didn't do when he was coaching. As shown in the picture, as a center forward, Aubameyang retreated deeply, and after Busquets' straight plug, Aubameyang started the trend, while Garvey sent a direct pass to break the opponent's defense.
When attacking, Harvey emphasizes the movement of the opponent's defense, once the opponent is concentrated on one side, then Busquets often quickly passes the ball to the other side, thus forming a local advantage.
In Harvey's tactical system, Pedri played an important role. He often stands between the two lines of his opponent and launches a key pass of the offense.
Xavi's successful transformation of Barca is also reflected in the defense. From the day he was in charge, Xavi asked the players to quickly launch a counterattack when they conceded a goal, and from the PPTA value, Barca reached 8.6, ranking first in La Liga. At the same time, Barca are the la Liga team with the most forward passes after the break.
After 231 steals up front, Barca have formed 35 shots on goal and scored 3 goals, while while while in Coman's coaching, Barça have only formed 17 shots on goal after 106 steals, scoring 2 goals.
As shown in the figure, when the opponent is in possession, Aubameyang is responsible for pressing one centre-back, De Jong is pushing forward to grab another center-back, and Pedri is pressing for the back behind.
When the opponent passed the ball to the full-back, Ferran Torres quickly stepped forward to press it.
The opponent hastily opted for a direct pass, and Pique had already crossed the midline and was ready to break the ball.
When the opponent had the ball in the corner, Barca had five players in the corner, even surpassing the opponent in this area.
Against Valencia, Barca even had 3 players pressing their opponents at the same time.
After Xavi took charge, Barca's defensive action in the attacking third zone has increased significantly, which shows that Xavi's tactics emphasize pressing and pressing in the front court to ease the pressure on the team in the midfield.
Of course, Xavi has not yet completely solved the problems of the Barca defense. However, he has turned the tide of the situation for Barca, and the battle against Real Madrid is the best evidence.