Certain clubs, like FC Barcelona, become associated with certain styles of playing football due to their rich heritage and tendency to honor those roots that their football originates from in the hopes of carrying on their proud stylistic culture.
However, there is a different side to football, one that requires adaptation and reinvention so that the very best in Europe remain relevant, and that is something Barcelona may have to do as well.
As highlighted by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Xavi Hernandez’s side last season that conquered La Liga as well as the Spanish Supercup utilised the inclusion of four midfielders within the starting XI.
However, it was not exactly a standard 4-4-2 that allowed the Catalan coach to deploy them all simultaneously but the concept of a false winger.
By deploying Gavi most of the times as a ‘false winger’ on the left wing of the front three, the Barcelona coach was able to provide the team an outlet for both width as well as midfield numbers to retain control of the game while Alejandro Balde was allowed much more space to thrive on the left flank.
However, the coach needs to adapt to using other systems as well because it seems that opponents have finally managed to catch up to the Spanish coach in terms of tactical counter setups to his four-midfielder system.
Barcelona seem much more predictable as a unit and Getafe in particular managed to showcase just how easily they could nullify the Barcelona threat as a result at times. As a result, Xavi chose to adapt and transform his four-midfielder setup by deploying an unexpected fifth midfielder against Cadiz.
With Frenkie De Jong pushed even deeper to play alongside Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, a recognition of the great game the Dutchman managed to have against Getafe once he was playing alongside the French defender and Ronald Araujo during the Getafe game, Xavi was able to integrate Oriol Romeu, Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Gavi all simultaneously as well.
This tweak did in fact allow certain creative Barcelona players to have much more freedom than they did against Getafe. Pedri and Gundogan, in particular, thrived in this new look setup, with their connections between them rising from a meager seven against Getafe to an impressive 26, with one of those leading to the goal that would end up breaking the deadlock.
With Portuguese fullback Joao Cancelo also expected to arrive soon in Barcelona, Xavi may have even more depth at his disposal to tweak his formations and setups moving forward. However, this adaptation and need to constantly evolve will be integral in showcasing the tactical capabilities of both the manager and the team to reconfigure themselves.
