After playing six games in 18 days, from Europe and Asia to Africa, Barça were a little tired from non-stop, but the team still won their sixth consecutive victory.
Pedri's goal was accompanied by some unnecessary mistakes. Happily, Xavi's use of Kessie, the Barca midfielder on the fringe, seems to be being activated as a key tactical pawn.
01. Understand Barca's division of labor on the right side: you can understand Xavi's Plan A
a. Barca's retreat from Rafinha on the right wing is important
Barca started on the left and Dembele did not fit well, but the arrangement on the right flank was quite detailed.
Right-back Roberto retracted heavily in midfield, allowing Pedri to step forward, Dembele to switch as the main attacking winger, and Rafinha to take on more defensive balancing on this side.
Conde's dribbling ability is good, but it is difficult for him to play the role of sweeping the midfield up front and protecting Sergio Busquets. Getafe's several scoring chances had a little to do with Conde's slower or softer front.
This time Conde lost control of the first point, Roberto protected his back, and the opponent had the opportunity to transfer the ball to the weak side of Barca's far right flank, but Rafinha's retreat was always timely.
Because Busquets followed the ball carrier in the second point, the ball was assigned to the wing before a wide range of transfers were completed.
Rafinha's retreat from the back is still very important, which is also his characteristic and strength.
It is clear from the camera that Conde's control of the first point of the golf ball always suffers. Sergio Busquets followed the second man, but the opponent moved the ball to Barca's weak right flank.
Rafinha was important to protect the inside after retreating, allowing Roberto's turnaround card position to be more relaxed, and eventually gave the ball to the line.
There was also a counter-attack in the first half, and Rafinha even retreated to the ribs of the penalty area at the first time, jamming the space and causing Iglesia to miss with the ball.
The presence of this right-winger means a lot to Barca's overall balance.
b. Pedri gets more forward opportunities
Because of Rafinha's aggressive retreat, Pedri also got more opportunities to cut forward.
However, because of the transition between Asia, Africa and Europe, Pedri is tired and his mistakes have increased, which is completely understandable.
It's like this attack, because Rafinha pulls up the wing, Roberto closes in midfield, and Pedri can feel more comfortable to step forward.
Unfortunately, after hitting the ribs, the opponent was directly surrounded by 3 people, so Pedri had to consider passing back to the outside.
This time the offensive and defensive switch, Christensen broke the ball and passed the ball in one, and launched a counterattack on the spot.
Rafinha, who switched to the left, sent in a quality cross and Pedri scored to give Barca the lead.
When Dembele switches to the right, Roberto will still adduct inward, but Pedri will stand slightly further back.
Because Dembele is more likely to attack with the ball, he needs teammates behind his back. At the same time, because there is only one striker in this game, although Dembele's breakthrough is quite sharp, the effect of attacking is average.
02. Fati is not that bad: he also has tactical value
a. Fathi is a little less sharp: but not short of aura
As a starting striker, Fati had only one effective shot on goal in this game, contributing one key pass and two tackles.
Because there were not many outstanding performances, there was a lot of criticism after the game.
However, from the details of the game, we can see the characteristics of Fati. This time he retreated to midfield to pass the ball to Garvey, who passed Busquets and sent a straight plug to the ribs, receiving the ball from the reverse Fati who plugged in.
Fati then shook the ball and missed it to his teammates, because there was no striker in the middle at the time, and it would be difficult to handle if he took the ball. Fathi's software score is very high, and his ability to read games is very good.
This wave of attacks can be seen, and Fati is the instigator and guide. His leaky ball was very spiritual, and he followed himself in front of the box and almost missed Barde's cross.
The problem is that Fathi did not choose to step forward in front of Duarte, but went behind him. After the injury, Fati's desire to fight was average, allowing him to miss a goal that featured him throughout.
b. Expected goals + assists per 90 minutes: second only to Lewandowski
As you can see from the statistics, Fathi's expected goals (non-penalties) + assists per 90 minutes reached 0.92, which is only less than Lewandowski and Aubameyang, who has already left the team (the number of appearances is somewhat misleading).
It should be said that Fathi still has his characteristics in terms of creating opportunities and moving positions. Currently trapped in a physical state and unable to fully display his characteristics.
From this wave of attack, it can be seen that Fati is most suitable to appear on the left position in the counterattack.
After Garvey broke the ball, Fathi received a split from his teammate, cut inside with a precise cross to find Dembele, and then cut himself into the box. If the opponent's goalkeeper is a little less in shape, Fati can even hope to complete a catch-up shot in front of goal. His movement is worthy of recognition.
In addition, in this wave of offensive and defensive conversion, Fati returned strongly to defend the broken ball, which is still good.
However, he fell directly to the ground in the subsequent confrontation, which can also be seen that his current next set is still a bit false (although the opponent is actually fouled).
03. In the last half hour, Harvey showed his hand: he learned how to use Kathy
Harvey's use of Casey: Gradually there is a system
As can be seen from the statistics, Barça's possession rate is close to 70%, but the number of shots is only 1 more than that of the opponent.
It should be said that the team as a whole is tired, and unnecessary mistakes give the opponent a lot of counterattack opportunities. A highlight of the game was the change in tactical details brought by Harvey's backhand replacement of Casey.
One of the most conspicuous places is that Casey will appear in the center position from time to time, and the two central midfielders Garvey and Pedri are more like interior strikers, allowing Fati to go to the left position.
Fati's forward thrusting awareness was still very good, and this time Alba's overhead ball found him, instantly forming a one-handed chance.
Although he was later punished for offside and Fathi did not score, this wave of tactical changes is still quite connotative.
b. Nearly scored back-to-back goals
In the last Copa del Rey against Ceuta, Kessie scored 1 goal and 2 assists, becoming the number one contributor to the team's win.
It should be said that Casey is in La Liga, and the confrontational advantage is still obvious. Appearing as a tactical pawn still has some value after integration into the system.
Kessie has a bit of the taste of Paulinho at the back, and Barca were once 4 midfielders + Dembele and Fati.
Dembele pushed forward, and the opponent could not keep up. After having Kathy. Dembele's passing has more options and the opportunity to score comes in.
Fati's cover run, Dembele held the ball and cut inside to split the ball, Casey dunked inside this time beautifully, but unfortunately the last shot was a little right.
Missing out on back-to-back goals, but Kessie has gradually gained a clear direction in Xavi's hands, which is good news and proof of his integration into the team.
Conclusion:
Moving to Asia, Africa and Europe, 18 days to win six consecutive games, Xavi and Barca are on their way to the goal of winning a double in the domestic arena.
If you really want to do this, how to use Fati and Casey more rationally will be very important. After all, this winter window, Barca's plan is to "stand still", and at the same time introduce Carrasco in the summer window, the future adjustment space is still limited, and more internal potential is needed.