Wednesday 3 June 2015 11:02, UK
So how do you beat Barcelona? With the help of the Opta data and our team of experts, we highlight some of the key qualities needed if Juventus are to pull off a shock win in the Champions League final in Berlin…
Some have tried to play a high line, while others have dropped deep. Some have relied on set-pieces, while others have utilised the counter-attack.
Whatever Juventus try to come up with at the weekend, they’ll need to do it well. Here are just some of the important things to remember when taking on Barca…
No possession? No problem
Barcelona have enjoyed the majority of possession in every La Liga game they have played this season. In fact, they’ve averaged 70 per cent of possession domestically and 61 per cent in Europe. As a result, even the Italian double winners might have to just accept they won’t be seeing too much of the ball at the weekend. But that doesn’t mean the task is hopeless for the 12/5 outsiders.
In February, mid-table Malaga won 1-0 at Barcelona despite enjoying just 27 per cent of possession. The more telling statistic was that both teams had 11 shots on goal with Malaga managing three shots on target compared to Barcelona’s four. Malaga boss Javi Gracia said afterwards: “[You have to] control the game through good defensive work, not through possession, because you cannot do that against Barcelona.
“The player who wins the ball back must play it forward immediately, to bypass their initial press. The forwards must be waiting for that moment, to offer themselves in the spaces we know will be there if their full-backs are pushed forward. If you do not break and hold the ball against Barcelona, you never get out. They have possession, possession, possession, and in the end you are exhausted – and then you are in trouble.”
Be up for the fight
Barcelona’s powers of possession mean that being able to win the ball is vital. During their defeat to Paris St Germain in September, Barca recorded the lowest duel success rate (43 per cent) in their Champions League run this season. Barcelona only won 49 duels during the entire game – their lowest in this season’s campaign. It wasn’t a coincidence but rather a product of PSG’s pressing, as Guillem Balague told Sky Sports.
Everybody defended very compact with two lines of four and then they had very fast players up front to counter-attack and use the space that Barca leave behind their defence. That is the way to unsettle Barcelona.
“That is the way to unsettle Barcelona,” said Balague. “There was pressure high and when they couldn’t recover the ball early, PSG tracked back as a team. Everybody defended very compact with two lines of four and then they had very fast players up front to counter-attack and use the space that Barca leave behind their defence. That is the way. They have to get at the Barca players and have a clear idea of what they want to do.”
Cover well at the back
It is possible to take this pressing too far. The one team that has enjoyed more possession than Barcelona in a game this season was Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich as they pushed high up the field and went man-for-man at the back. It was an aggressive approach that stayed true to the coach’s principles but his injury-hit side suffered late on and surrendered a three-goal deficit in the first leg. Few were convinced by the tactics.
You don’t like calling Pep Guardiola stupid because he’s one of the best coaches but it was fascinating how he tried to stop Barca.
“I was fascinated watching it, pressing high, going man-for-man all over the pitch,” Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports. “How brave was it? To go three v three at the back, we were saying 'brave' but it was madness to go up against that front three. Barca could have had the game wrapped up so early. To go three v three against the best strike force in world football… you don’t like calling Pep Guardiola stupid because he’s one of the best coaches, but it was fascinating how he tried to stop Barca.”
Get the balance right
As a result, it seems that a balance between defence and attack is essential. “If you want to make Barcelona have a difficult evening then you have to defend really well,” European Cup winning striker Marco van Basten told Sky Sports. “You have to make sure you don’t give a lot of space to Lionel Messi or Andres Iniesta and also make sure they don’t get any time. So you should be very compact and close to each other, remaining alert while they have the ball.
“On the other hand, you also have to go on the attack too. The good thing for Juventus is that they are a team that understands and reads the flow of the game. So if they feel they need to defend they have the discipline to defend, but if they have the possibility to attack they will go forward. That’s what gives them the chance to beat Barca.”
Counter-attack is crucial
Barcelona’s attacking approach can make them vulnerable on the break. “This is where Barcelona can concede goals,” former Barca defender Albert Ferrer told Revista de la Liga. “Everybody is attacking. The opposition win the ball back and the full-backs are up the field. The key for Barcelona is for the two centre-backs to be very concentrated with the help of the holding midfielder. And pray.
“Sometimes the weakest point about Barcelona is that they are not going to change their philosophy. They are just going to keep attacking and attacking. Whoever they play against this is how they’re going to play. The full-backs will go flying forwards and midfielders will get into the box. That’s a big problem for the opposition but not changing that means they are going to suffer in defence.”
Still struggling? Get lucky
Theory is one thing and execution is another. While victorious managers can wax lyrical about their successful tactics and pundits can put a perfect system in place on paper, it is clear that a healthy dollop of luck is also needed if a team is to pull off an unlikely victory against Barcelona. At least three of Barcelona's four defeats in La Liga this season certainly owed a little to fortune.
Malaga seized upon a misjudged Dani Alves back-pass at the Nou Camp, while it was a Jordi Alba own goal within two minutes of the start that did for Barcelona away to Real Sociedad in January. Barca even hit the woodwork three times in losing to Celta Vigo in November. “Of course you need a bit of luck,” admitted Malaga boss Gracia. The question now is whether or not Juventus will get it on Saturday.
