And they’re a club that believes bringing in talent while nurturing home grown players as well. Bayern are a club that follow specific protocols. Historically they’ve always been an elite club that has always supported their directors, coaches and players. And we’ve witnessed Bayern win the treble under Jupp Heynckes, win countless titles while breaking cultural norms under Pep Guardiola, and achieve legendary status by winning their 29th Bundesliga title. Some legendary players have played for this club. And although the likes of Dortmund have tried, Bayern’s consistency at the top has never been matched. A team dominating the Bundesliga for years and years. If Barcelona are the institution, then Bayern Munchen are the benchmark. But the old adage of keeping possession and tiring the opposition definitely works and Barcelona will be more than capable of overcoming their opponents for the quarterfinal. Their passing is more intricate around the penalty area and they often break the offside trap with quick deep runs from any of the front 3. Messi’s starting position is usually the right of the front 3 moving inwards.īarcelona do not play many crosses. One of the 3 in the middle tend to support the defense when in possession that allows the wing backs to move forward ahead of the half way line.īut whilst we have seen similar tactics from other coaches such as Pep Guardiola using his defensive midfielder in a screen sweeper mode moving between the center backs, Quique Setien’s midfielder (most recently Rakitic) falls back essentially as a third center back on the left allowing the formation to tactically shift to a 3-4-3. Quique Setien plays a dynamic 4-3-3 which expands through the wing backs that cover the flanks but remains compact in the midfield. Anything short, and he might be shown the door. And now Setien and Barcelona have no choice but to win the Champions League. Some would say it’s unfair considering he hasn’t had enough time to build a winning side. It was always going to be a tough job for any coach to take over a club during the course of a season.Īfter losing the La Liga crown to bitter rivals Real Madrid, Quique Setien is now a man under pressure. Only one problem, he hasn’t had enough time. They have recently begun to play very good football and we have witnessed some interesting lineups and formations in order to make the best use of talents at Setien’s disposal. They were a very attractive footballing side.Īnd so has been the case with Barcelona. He earned his reputation at Real Betis, where he focused mainly on youth players and played them with freedom. A man who advocates in attacking systems. So the board recently took action and brought in Quique Setien. Even though he won the La Liga title, he was never a fan favorite and the poor performances against opponents Liverpool and Roma in the past couple of seasons have been his undoing. The most recent victim of this has been Ernesto Valverde. Or it could just be ridiculously high expectations with regards to sustainable success and maintaining the quality of their football. It could also be down to the transition that all super clubs have to go through and that’s always a slow process. They’re no more the force they used to be. Cases of money laundering, inboard fighting, animosity amongst directors and players has seen the club lost its way. However as is always the case with Barcelona, the club seems to love a crisis which threatens to engulf the very foundations of the club. They’re the only club that has accomplished two trebles in Spanish football history with catalans Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta at the heart of the success. Most recently their La Masia academy has made a name for themselves with homegrown talents being nurtured to break into the senior squad. Despite being graced with some of the greatest talents the game has ever witnessed such as Cruyff, Laudrup, Koeman, Ronaldinho and many more, it is their innovative playing style that the club has become With a distinct style and philosophy that’s been followed and respected all around the world, it’s fair to say that Barcelona is an institution. Over the past and preceding decades we have seen some the best football of all time being produced by the Catalan club. THE FADING FORCE IN SPANISH FOOTBALL (FC BARCELONA)
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