Barcelona got lucky in getting the much needed three points against Villarreal, but their performance was far from what it is expected to be. The Yellow Submarine were defeated by two beautiful goals by Griezmann and Arthur, but deserves praise for trying until the very end.
The talking points for Barcelona were Messi’s injury and Griezmann’s future in the team, whilst Villarreal found their “new” hero in the face of Santi Cazorla.
This tactical analysis will look into both team’s tactics and how, despite their struggles, Barcelona found a way to grab the three points.
Lineups
Barcelona initially lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Martin ter Stegen was on the goalkeeping spot while supported by a four-man defence containing Nélson Semedo, Gerard Piqué, Clément Lenglet, and Junior Firpo. Sergi Roberto, Sergio Busquets, Arthur were in the role of the central trio. Luiz Suárez was leading the attack, flanked by Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann. The team had to change their strategy multiple times, though. It all started with Messi being forced off and then trying to structure in a right way in order to create more opportunities, ending up in a 4-1-4-1 scheme.
Villarreal’s 4-2-3-1 starting XI started with Sergio Asenjo. In front of him were Rubén Peña, Raúl Albiol, Pau Torres and Xavi Quintillà…
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Artwork by @chapulana
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