1 Defender, Nine Midfielders...barça's Thrilling Formation

[Boab 73]

Guardiola's side on Monday had no strikers but they still put five past Villarreal. Are they better than last year?

By Pete Jenson in Barcelona

Wednesday, 31 August 2011

It's football, but not as we know it. Barcelona's dismantling of Villarreal on Monday night was more than just another Nou Camp annihilation. It was proof that as a new season starts in Spain Pep Guardiola's side will not be content rewriting football's record books, they want to rewrite the game's textbooks too.

It is easy to scoff at the theory that we have never seen anything like this before. But when was the last time you saw a team win 5-0 playing without a centre-forward and fielding only one out-and-out defender?

You can also write off their weekly pummelling of all opponents as a consequence of their unfair economic advantage, but they finished Monday night's rout with nine homegrown players on the pitch. And as for the idea they are dominating weak opposition – they beat Manchester United, Real Madrid and Porto in their three previous victories.

That win over Sir Alex Ferguson's team at Wembley last May might have seemed like a summit. Johan Cruyff even mischievously suggested it could be Guardiola's last game. But for the Barça coach, the climb continues.

He told his players they could forget about parading the recently won European Super Cup before the game on Monday and rejected Villarreal's offer of a guard of honour for winning the league last season. The focus was on the first game of this campaign and he marked it by picking his most attack-oriented team to date.

"Football is played, first and foremost, by midfielders. We have lots of them and they are very good," he said, picking a team composed almost entirely of midfield players.

The philosophy is: why pick a player just because he can defend when the best form of defence is possession? The opposition can't score if they don't have the ball, so fill the team with players who never give it away.

Barcelona's ability not to lose the ball has only increased with the acquisition of Cesc Fabregas – during the first 15 minutes against Villarreal they had 85 per cent of possession.

With Seydou Keita playing just in front of a back three composed of midfielders Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets alongside defender Eric Abidal, Barcelona restricted Villarreal to one shot on goal – in the 85th minute.

Wingers Pedro and Alexis Sanchez stretched the opposition and moving in and out of the spaces created were Andres Iniesta, Thiago Alcantara, Fabregas and Lionel Messi – with the latter two alternating as the furthest player forward.

Misty-eyed Barcelona supporters said it was a return to the 3-4-3 dream-team formation that Guardiola played in under Cruyff, but it often seemed more anarchic than that. And at its heart – a symbol of how it's an upgrade on last season – was that Fabregas-Messi combination that has now produced three goals in three games.

"I played alongside many of these players for five years," said Fabregas. "I have been away for eight years but of 2,000 Barcelona games, I have seen 1,998. I know exactly how they play."

Nice article and if you seen the game, it was beautiful Football as usual.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/one-defender-nine-midfielders-bar231as-thrilling-formation-2346397.html

[PaulRFC1 115]

Messi, Pedro and Sanchez are all forwards.

[PaulRFC1 115]

They aren't strikers though.

I wouldn't call them midfielders either.

[kaiser1041 9,088]

and when walter played a cm at cb he was mad.barcelona are fantastic but the nut hugging towards them is shocking

[King Jela 20,364]

Fuck Barca!

[Waste 8]

and when walter played a cm at cb he was mad.barcelona are fantastic but the nut hugging towards them is shocking

Bit of a difference there buddy

[JamieD 18,954]

and when walter played a cm at cb he was mad.barcelona are fantastic but the nut hugging towards them is shocking

Eh, the point is that with key players out and only one defender on the pitch Barcelona won FIVE-NIL. Why is the "nut-hugging" shocking rather than totally reasonable?

[ConorRFC51 38]

I would say their formation that day was a bit Levein-esque.

They honestly, realistically, lined up as a 3-7-0. I watched the trio of Messi, Pedro and Sanchez and they were occupying the positions of attacking midfielders. They played with no natural strikers, but even better they played a formation with no player "acting" as a striker.

Villareal are no push-overs either. Madrid the night before, had basically a full squad including about 100M of quality on the bench and they only beat a far, far worse side than Villareal, 6-0.

Barcelona are absurdly good.

[wearethemighty 186]

It doesnt matter who they play and what position they play in, Barca have a system ingrained in their club from the kids all the way up to the first team- same system.

[esquire8 42,854]

Just a unreal team. Wondered why they wanted Fabregas so badly now I know. Seems to fit in like he's been there for years already. So much understanding and knowing of each other. Probably the best team I have ever seen in my lifetime.

[Amac9 2,060]

We would take Barcelona to pieces!

[JamieD 18,954]

I've yet to see this Fabregas-Messi interplay that everyone's raving about- looking forward to it!

They were both essentially playing as false 9s against Villarreal. And it worked a treat. It seems that at this point Guardiola can do pretty much whatever the fuck he wants.

[King Jela 20,364]

They were both essentially playing as false 9s against Villarreal. And it worked a treat. It seems that at this point Guardiola can do pretty much whatever the fuck he wants.

That was the impression I got. We're Barcelona, we can do we want - inspired by Real Madrid's raping the night before.

[papaguy51 912]

Just a unreal team. Wondered why they wanted Fabregas so badly now I know. Seems to fit in like he's been there for years already. So much understanding and knowing of each other. Probably the best team I have ever seen in my lifetime.

Given the style of football they play, I guess that Pep just didn't think he was getting enough goals from the middle of the park.

Not that he needed any more goals, but when you can afford to fix it then why not?

[Gillete 1,338]

Xavi is the engine

Xavi is the heart of the barca body

Xavi is the cog in the wheel

Xavi is the jelly in your dohnut

Xavi is the bark on the tree

Xavi is the salt in your ocean

Xavi is the pen for your bookie slip

Xavi is the man keeping the football off you in a phonebox

End of

[PaulRFC1 115]

Xavi is the engine

Xavi is the heart of the barca body

Xavi is the cog in the wheel

Xavi is the jelly in your dohnut

Xavi is the bark on the tree

Xavi is the salt in your ocean

Xavi is the pen for your bookie slip

Xavi is the man keeping the football off you in a phonebox

End of

too far

[Jelle1880 225]

I saw a video of that, their formation looked normal but when they kicked the game off it all became crystal clear:

These guys know each other inside out, they knew exactly where the passes would go, always kept in formation,...

[Orangeclement 570]

I wouldn't call them midfielders either.

no they call them wingers

[rfcfraserrfc 262]

Xavi is the engine

Xavi is the heart of the barca body

Xavi is the cog in the wheel

Xavi is the jelly in your donut

Xavi is the bark on the tree

Xavi is the salt in your ocean

Xavi is the pen for your bookie slip

Xavi is the man keeping the football off you in a phonebox

End of

Overrated

[ConorRFC51 38]

Xavi is far from over-rated. And I would agree that he's the engine in Barcelona.

There's a reason he's the most capped player in Barca history. Xavi is easily the third best footballer in the world, IMO.

[ConorRFC51 38]

Xavi is far from over-rated. And I would agree that he's the engine in Barcelona.

There's a reason he's the most capped player in Barca history. Xavi is easily the third best footballer in the world, IMO.

[Gillete 1,338]

Xavi is far from over-rated. And I would agree that he's the engine in Barcelona.

There's a reason he's the most capped player in Barca history. Xavi is easily the third best footballer in the world, IMO.

I'd say 2nd tbh

Messi

Xavi

Iniesta

Ronaldo

Schneider