3 Things We Learned: FC Barcelona vs Juventus

A stereotypical stubborn Italian defence stopped Barcelona from scoring to draw 0-0 on the night and win 3-0 on aggregate.

Smart Defending

This performance was an excellent example of defending in an astute way. La Vecchia Signora were happy to let Barcelona’s possession go down the flanks, but pressed the ball intently as soon as it went in to the middle. Pushing play down the wings was important because Barcelona had little aerial threat, so limiting the play to crosses as much as possible was a wise gambit.

It was a smart way of dealing with the M-S-N trio by Max Allegri. The Catalans still had chances, but the plan was successful in getting I Bianconeri through, and they also kept a clean sheet. Allegri has proved that he is an excellent tactical pragmatist, and his game plan as well as the substitutions he made reflect this.

Whenever the game had the potential to swing away from Juventus, he realigned that balance with his changes. He brought on Andrea Barzagli for Paulo Dybala in the 75th minute in order to bolster the defence. By this point they didn’t need creativity due to the sheer amount of gaps opening in the Barcelona defence.

He then brought on Mario Lemina for Juan Cuadrado to limit space in midfield and then Kwadwo Asamoah for Gonzalo Higuaín to bring some extra energy to the team. They were simple decisions, but they ensured victory due to being at key times in the match.

This is the third year out of four that Barça have been knocked out by a tactically savvy defensive side. Whoever the board decide to bring in as manager needs to address the problems they have in this area. It would be preferable if this was resolved with a grand visionary plan using Barcelona’s strengths. However, a manager who deals with the issues plaguing the current squad would suffice.

Next: Barcelona vs Juventus preview

Wayward Finishing

Regardless of the quality of Juventus’ defensive plan, Barcelona still created plenty of chances. However, they couldn’t convert them with eighteen of the nineteen shots going wide. Even Lionel Messi was wasteful, which sums up the performance really. He had seven shots, but only one was on target. The shot he pulled wide in the 19th minute was the kind of chance you would expect him to bury. The overall performance just wasn’t quite at the standard required. Although most teams wouldn’t be able to get near that level, so it shows the high regard this team is held in.

The sheer amount of creativity in the team has allowed them to bury teams, but this has helped hide the poor conversion rate of the team. This season they have averaged 17 shots per game with seven of them being on target in the league and the Champions League. Granted, this doesn’t mean they were good chances, but the majority of Barça’s play is intricate passing around the box. They are usually patient and wait for a good opening rather than forcing the issue. In those two competitions they have scored 117 goals in 42 games which is an average of 2.79 per game. Therefore, under 20% of their shots are going in, and just under 40% of the shots on target are goals.

This is a strange phenomenon because they have three talented players up front who are all extremely capable at finishing. The issue could be mental rather than physical; the sheer ability to create plenty of opportunities means they are complacent at finishing. They can’t afford to let this issue continue because it will hurt them in big games such as this one.

Attacking Plan

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Allowing the front three the creative freedom to dictate play has served them well over the last three years. In terms of the league, it has proved more than enough to see them through the majority of the games. It’s in the Champions League where they have issues due to the knockout format of the tournament in the later stages. In the big games the Catalans rely on individuals such as Messi and Neymar to break down organised defences. They need to have a clear style of play through the team in these matches because the freedom often becomes a burden against patient and organised sides.

Barcelona have plenty of examples, in their history, which could be used as inspiration. Pep Guardiola focused on making Xavi and Andrés Iniesta the hub of creativity through their ability to break down teams with patient passing and smart positioning. Johan Cruyff’s time as manager was focused on manipulating space and harnessed individual creativity in a system.

Even big rivals Real Madrid under Zinedine Zidane can be used as an example due to their focus on set pieces and overlaps on the wings as well as control of the half-spaces. Also, he focused on changing Cristiano Ronaldo in to a pure poacher in order to make up for his reduction in pace and general decline. This means he has more of a bit part role, but it gets the best out of him as an individual.