Final Up to date on 28 Mar 2022 7:14 pm (UK Time)
“We’re again.” This was once Gerard Pique’s summation after Barcelona’s resounding victory within the Santiago Bernabeu in the most recent ‘Clasico’ as opposed to arch nemeses Actual Madrid on Sunday evening. A brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and targets from Ferran Torres and Ronald Araujo secured a dominant 4-0 away win for the Catalans in a fit that harkened again to an identical thrashings they have got dished out to Los Blancos previously near-decade and a half of.
Pique himself was once fascinated about a few of the ones commanding wins; 6-2 and 4-0 victories away on the Bernabeu in 2009 and 2015 respectively, both sides of a 5-0 dismantling of Madrid on the Camp Nou in 2010. Alternatively, after a run of six video games with no win and 5 instantly defeats within the well-known fixture, the ones historical effects don’t have been farther from his, or any person related to Barcelona’s, thoughts.
Barca’s surprising shape in opposition to their everlasting opponents in recent times has been indicative in their primary decline all through the overall phases of the Lionel Messi generation and the hopelessness surrounding the membership in an instant after his go out. General mismanagement at the pitch was once a symptom of the even better mismanagement at boardroom stage which despatched FC Barcelona right into a spiral that has ended in them coming as shut as you’ll consider a modern day superclub coming to monetary and existential oblivion.
That being stated, the arriving of membership legend Xavi as the brand new head trainer and the impressively savvy January switch marketplace dealings had lifted the temper across the membership and had Barca fanatics hopeful as soon as once more. An out of this world begin to 2022 for the Catalan giants, by which they notched 4 targets on 5 events for the reason that starting of February and feature navigated their manner into the overall 8 of the Europa League, constructed in this and had Culers heading into Sunday night’s conflict with authentic optimism.
Xavi caught with the tactical ideas that experience re-energised Barca over the last few months as his staff took to the sphere on the Bernabeu. Since his arrival, the brand new Barcelona trainer has positioned an enormous emphasis on his wingers. Xavi stations his huge males very top and huge, at all times in shut proximity to the touchline and occupying the opposing full-back. The aim of that is to isolate the wingers’ markers who’ve little probability at having the ability to prevent such fast and dynamic dribblers as Ousmane Dembele and Adama Traore in one-on-one duels; a strategic construction that has reinvigorated Dembele and accentuated Traore’s essential attributes.
This recreation plan was once glaring within the build-up to Barcelona’s first function. Dembele picked up the ball huge at the correct with handiest an growing older application full-back in Nacho Fernandes to shield in opposition to him. Dembele breezed previous the Spanish defender, as he’s so able to doing, and delivered a really perfect pass for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to go house; furthering the Gabon world’s unbelievable begin to existence in Barcelona, having now scored seven targets in seven Los angeles Liga appearances for his new membership.
Xavi’s staff additionally reveal better verticality of their play than you could possibly normally go together with Barcelona groups, particularly those that the diminutive Spaniard was once well-known for orchestrating as a participant. Central defenders like Pique, Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia have licence to play lengthy passes, typically to the huge avid gamers to milk the wingers’ aforementioned skills when going through up an uncovered full-back.
Those extra direct passes no longer handiest search for the huge forwards, alternatively. The centre-backs and Sergio Busquets additionally generally tend to play extra vertical passes to seek out midfield runs from deep, typically from Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, who regularly make those overdue runs to shape a entrance 5 with Aubameyang and the wingers. Making the most of the stretched opposition defence brought about through the positions of the wingers, those front-foot midfielders’ propensity to play within the attacking half of areas on the edges of the fighters’ field or even destroy past the defence into function scoring positions is a basic facet of Xavi’s philosophy and brought about Madrid’s defence quite a lot of hassle during Sunday’s Clasico.
With Dembele and, on this recreation, Ferran Torres hugging the touchline, Barcelona’s full-backs have shifted clear of the marauding, overlapping taste they’re used to enjoying. In ownership, they now occupy extra inside positions within the defensive half-spaces on both sides of Sergio Busquets to facilitate build-up and create a quasi 2-3-5 formation that has come to be related to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Town in recent times. Jordi Alba and makeshift right-back Ronald Araujo achieved this rather well and introduced a platform for the entrance 5 to select holes in Madrid’s defence.
The opposite tactical explanation why for the narrowing of Barcelona’s full-backs is to supply extra solidity in opposition to opposition counter-attacks in the course of the heart of the pitch. This was once an means that Ancelotti’s Madrid was once obviously looking to utilise with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo working virtually as break up strikers in a 4-4-2 diamond formation when their staff had the ball. Alternatively, because of the way in which Xavi set his staff up, the 2 inverted wingers didn’t get any trade out of Barca’s defence.
Within the absence of talismanic ahead Karim Benzema, Ancelotti opted to play Luka Modric in a job someplace between a false 9 and a host ten. On this alien place, Modric appeared misplaced, and he and Toni Kroos weren’t in a position to say their standard regulate and pace on complaints.
Out of ownership, Kroos tended to push up along Modric as Madrid’s maximum complex pressers in a type of 4-2-2-2 or 4-2-4 arrange, very similar to the way in which by which Ralf Rangnick deployed Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba within the Manchester derby defeat to Town previous this month. In either one of the ones examples, dynamic off-the-ball urgent isn’t the trait maximum related to both of the ones pairs of avid gamers. As with Town, Barcelona didn’t battle to play thru, over or round Madrid’s disjointed press and assault Los Blancos’ creaking backline.
For Ancelotti and Actual Madrid, it’s alarming that the absence of an admittedly world-class however growing older centre-forward could cause such shockwaves during the gadget and the efficiency of the opposite avid gamers. The Italian trainer can be hopeful that his megastar striker is to be had for the Champions League quarter-final conflict with holders Chelsea in early April as a result of, as observed on Sunday within the Bernabeu, Benzema stays utterly irreplaceable inside of his squad.
For Xavi and Barcelona, while the significance of this win is most probably minimum with regards to the context of the league (there can be no claims of ‘hay liga’ round Camp Nou off the again of this end result), its emotional importance can’t be overstated. Since Xavi’s arrival in November, Barca have now taken extra issues than Actual Madrid in league soccer. This, along with Sunday’s efficiency, will surely have Barcelona avid gamers and fanatics believing that they’re as soon as once more in a position to compete at the home, and probably even Ecu fronts; therefore Gerard Pique’s declaration that his staff ‘are again’.
As up to now discussed, each and every of Barcelona’s maximum a success head coaches of recent instances; Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, have presided over giant El Clasico wins all through their time in rate. Xavi has now adopted of their footsteps in his first league fit as opposed to Barca’s largest opponents. And despite the fact that this recreation was once evocative of the ones earlier encounters, it differed within the sense that the ones wins looked to be culminations of Barcelona’s dominance; confirming what we already knew. This show, regardless of the staff’s spectacular shape, was once a lot more surprising however, expectantly for Barcelona fanatics, represented a seminal efficiency; an indication of items to return.
The way in which by which Xavi and his avid gamers can make sure that Sunday night’s win was once simply this is to construct on it. Alternatively, it doesn’t get a lot more uncomplicated for the Catalans. Up subsequent is a Sevilla aspect that sits one position above them within the Los angeles Liga desk. A troublesome recreation, however person who Barca will now be anticipated to win at house given the brimming self assurance the avid gamers should have taken clear of the Santiago Bernabeu.
After the growth that the staff have made for the reason that flip of the yr and this type of dominating victory over their largest rival who stay one in every of Europe’s premier groups, it’s arduous to argue with Gerard Pique’s overview. While this younger workforce of avid gamers nonetheless have a protracted option to move earlier than Pique’s statement that Barca are again (particularly in comparison to the lofty requirements they up to now set for themselves) is confirmed right kind, underneath Xavi, they’re undoubtedly not off course again to the highest.
