They also have a forward pairing of Messi, the best player in the world by many many accounts, who scores lots of goals (over 40 last year) in addition to his numerous assists and defence splitting dribbling skills, and Villa, who is lethal in and around the penalty box and someone you can rely on to put the ball in the back of the net. They compliment this attacking prowess with a high pressure marking system to win the ball back as far up the pitch as possible and this combination between lethal attack and tireless defending can cause the best of teams to crumble, as Real Madrid showed by losing 5-0 at the Nou Camp last year. The question is, can they be beaten? When they are on a European roll, can they be stopped?
It has happened in the past, Manchester United in 2008; 1-0 to United after a goalless draw at the Nou Camp. Inter Milan with Mourinhor; 3-1 followed by losing only 1-0 at the Nou Camp despite losing a man to a red card in the 35th minute. Even Chelsea came close in 2009; losing only 1-0 after another 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp and some questionable refereeing in the return home leg at Stamford Bridge. But the question is, can they do it again? and how did they do it in the first place?
The most important aspect to beating Barcelona is a very deep defensive line, one that cannot be penetrated by the runners from deep. By letting Barcelona keep possession about 30-35 yards from goal, it forces them to penetrate you through the middle by slow build-up, a much more difficult proposition for any team. Barcelona don’t help themselves by rarely using the flanks or wingers to spread the attack and also by refusing to shoot from further than 20 yards, which is what allows for the deep defensive line. This is achieved by playing a flat back four, with very defensively-minded fullbacks and two or sometimes three defensive midfield players whose sole job is to break up play and relieve pressure on their team. However, these defensive midfielders are key in another element; the counter-attack.
The way to score against Barcelona is on the counter attack, negating their ability to win the ball back high up the pitch, and for this the team needs defensive midfield players who are prepared to not only break up play, but also release runners down the flanks for the quick counter-attack. A target man is useful in that respect because a good target man will control the ball from deep and keep it, hoping to score a goal off a quick turn or a one-two with another attacker. These counter attacks are usually launched down the flanks because not only do Barcelona’s full backs play very high up the pitch when attacking, but when they do get back, they are not renowned for the defensive prowess, with left full back being a position where Barcelona does infact lack real quality.
A final tactic which many will use is intimidation, because in the La Liga, players are rarely tackled with any force, and many managers feel a way to force the Barcelona players to play a reserved game is to commit niggly fouls or hard and fair tackles. However, Barcelona’s players are of such quality and their passing and movement so fluid that even if you did manage to get close enough to tackle them, they would just get on with their job of scoring goals against you.
There are, however, problems with this approach and many of them center around the need for concentration, discipline and fitness. The first of these is important because even the slightest mistake can make everything go wrong. With the deep defensive line, if one defender or midfielder makes one silly pass, or lazy tackle, the Barcelona players are quick-minded and will punish these mistakes to their fullest, often times resulting in a goal. The discipline is also important because if the defensive players were to go upfield to support the attack, at any given moment, the Barcelona players may have the ball and exploit that gap in your formation with immediate effect. This was most obvious during the Arsenal‘s game against them in last year’s round of 16 match-up; when Fabregas attempted a back-heeled pass that resulted in the opener, and when Denilson was caught upfield as Xavi scored the third that killed the game off.
The final element is that of tiring, which is rarely evident in the Champions League as players are the top athletes in the game, but is one that is more often apparent in La Liga games, where Barcelona pass the ball around until the opposition has tired to the point of lapses in concentration or discipline, which is when Barcelona strike.
Can Barcelona be beaten? Yes of course they can, any team can be beaten by another other at any time, but the thing that sets the best teams apart is how hard it is to beat them, and in this category, Barcelona is top in the world. In the 09-10 season they lost 4 games all year, once in the league, twice in the Champions League and once in the Spanish Cup, and this incredible record is down to the sheer domination they exert over teams in their games.
If they are to be beaten, it takes a lot of hard work and effort, but the most important thing of all, is pace. A team opposing Barcelona needs to counter with direction and pace, and it is only this that their defence cannot cope with, especially when they are isolated on the counter-attack. Realistically only Real Madrid, with Ronaldo, Ozil and Benzema, and Bayern Munich, with Robben, Muller and Schwiensteiger, have the pace coupled with the quality needed to beat this Barcelona team, and it remains to be seen wether either team gets the chance to do so in the near future. I say that as a Manchester United fan who solemnly accepts that my own club is not up to the task any more.
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