Should 3-4-3 be Luis Enrique’s Plan B?

A look at whether the 3-4-3, a currently popular formation, would suit Barcelona.

 Trends

Playing three at the back seems to have had a renaissance recently with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea being the best example. The formation seems to get the best balance out of teams who have the right players to use it. This is due to the support it gives to each individual defenders, as in there is usually another defender to cover him. In terms of attack, the defensive organization allows the creative players upfront the freedom to do what they do best.

Another important trend is the defensive issues that Barcelona have had this season. Lucho has also been accused of lacking a backup plan when the going gets tough. Therefore, this article seeks to understand whether these two trends could combine together to create a potential solution for Barça going in to the second half of the season.

Strengths

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The defensive stability this formation brings would suit Barcelona’s current style of play which focuses on building play from the defense in order to bring the opposition down the field and therefore create more space for the attacking trio. Barcelona have three center-backs who are more than capable of fitting into this system. Javier Mascherano, Gerard Piqué and Samuel Umtiti are not only capable defensively, but are also talented at picking a pass with the ball. This ability to break the lines of the opposition means they can alternate between possession-based and counter-attacking football. Therefore, making them multidimensional which would make them much harder to play against.

Not only does it encourage defensive stability, but it also doesn’t sacrifice creativity. The nature of the formation means that the front three wouldn’t have to track back the majority of the time. When defending deep, Jordi Alba could slot back into the left-back role, and Mascherano could move into the right-back role. Or they could play a back five with Sergi Roberto and Alba in the wing-back roles. In either setup, the front three would have little defensive responsibilities aside from an occasional runner to track back. This would allow them to stay high up the pitch, and therefore be even more of a threat on the counter.

This setup suits another key player for Barcelona as well: Sergio Busquets. He and his midfield partner would be tasked with breaking up the opposition attacks, providing a screen in front of the defence as well as covering the wing-backs when needed. Busquets would still be at the heart of everything, and this role requires abilities which he thrives at such as positioning, awareness and an ability to read the game. Changing to this formation in a key match, when Barça are ahead, would be a good way to absorb opposition pressure and mitigate the risks of Barcelona’s style of play. It would also allow them to still be dangerous because the M-S-N trio have proved to be extremely effective at quickly transitioning up the pitch.

Weaknesses

The main weakness of the system is fitting some of Barcelona’s current players in to it. Andrés Iniesta is one key component of the current team who would struggle to fit in. The role most suited to him would probably be in the centre of midfield. However, this role requires a lot of defensive work due to the constant moving around to disrupt opposition play. A player such as Ivan Rakitić would be much more suitable due to the energy he brings. Iniesta could do this because he is a smart player, but it’s not what you want him doing. He is a creative genius, so he should be at the forefront of attacking moves. Being part of the front three might suit him, but the trio would start over him because of the chemistry they have with each other.

Therefore, in this system, Iniesta would have to have a bit-part role. This significantly reduces the appeal of 3-4-3 because Iniesta has had a major influence on the resurgence in Barcelona’s form recently. His injury affected the team significantly, but his return has been a much-needed boost with his creativity and chemistry being key. The shift to 3-4-3 could also cause an over-reliance on the front three for creativity. This is because of the prioritization of defensive ability in midfield.

With these factors in mind, 3-4-3 could never be the main formation of the current team. Besides, moving away from the 4-3-3 would be unpopular with the Blaugrana anyway. Nonetheless, it could still be useful under the right circumstances.

Suitability

As a plan B, this formation has a lot of potential at Barcelona. The versatility of it means it could be a useful tool to use during a match. It could be used if Barça are struggling to break down a team because of the width it offers. The ability to send up a centre-back in this scenario wouldn’t affect the defence as much as it currently does either. This is because of the extra centre-back, so Luis Enrique could continue to do his popular tactic of sending up Piqué when they need a goal.

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This system would also be useful when Barcelona are ahead. As mentioned above, the Catalans would be better equipped to absorb pressure, and could be dangerous on the counter. It would require a bit of drilling on the training ground in order to get the players used to it. However, once they are confident, other players could be brought in such as the periphery players. The collective defensive nature of the system means that bringing in the periphery players has little impact on the team. Therefore, Enrique would be able to rotate the squad around and keep the key players fresh. This formation has unique strengths which it could bring to Barcelona. Consequently, it should be considered by Lucho.

Potential Lineup

How I envisage Barcelona lining up if they used this formation.