3 Things We Learned: FC Barcelona vs Chapecoense

Barcelona won the Joan Gamper trophy with a 5-0 victory over Brazilian side Chapecoense.

Deulofeu’s selflessness

The young Spanish winger was impressive in this match as he worked seamlessly in the system. There were worries that he wouldn’t be able to fit in due to his mentality issues. His individual quality was never in doubt, but he previously had problems working as part of a team. This match is a positive sign because he thrived in his role.

He was often found on the left side with plenty of space. The key factor was that he was able to make use of this as he continued to make the correct decisions. He knew when to take on the shot himself or find someone in the box or at the edge of it. This composure in important situations is going to be vital for the upcoming season due to the amount of chances he is going to be given in the final third.

In this match, he scored once and assisted twice. Ivan Rakitić set him up with an easy tap-in for the first goal of the match. For the second goal, he found Sergio Busquets on the edge of the box, with plenty of space, who then proceeded to finesse a beautiful shot into the top corner. Finally, he slid in a ball to Lionel Messi, in the box, who fired the ball into the top of the net. There were also plenty of other situations where he made the correct decision which didn’t lead to a goal.

It was a promising performance from the young Spaniard. However, he is going to have to replicate this performance against much harder opponents if he wants to excel.

Iniesta thrives

Based on this match, Andrés Iniesta looks ready for the season. He was full of energy as he made plenty of late runs into the box as well as overlaps for Gerard Deulofeu. On top of this, he was a magician in midfield as he drew people in before driving past them or finding a teammate with a precise short pass.

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His relationship with Deulofeu looks promising because his ability to find him in the final third was coupled with smart decision-making from the winger. Obviously, Deulofeu isn’t as good as Neymar, but the issue with the Brazilian was the amount of times he was dispossessed. Deulofeu doesn’t seem to take on more than he can do, currently. Instead, he often feeds in the other creative players. This suits Iniesta because it means less work for him as Barcelona have greater control over possession.

Under Valverde, the teams seems to have shifted back to the passing triangles and pressing out of possession of the Guardiola days. This has been boosted by the departure of Neymar who suited the quick transitional play. Although, he did well in a hybrid winger-wing-back role last season, which required a lot of energy. This move back to patient positional play suits Iniesta due to his advanced age as well as it better suiting his range of abilities.

Next: FC Barcelona vs Chapecoense: recap

Busquets controls

Similar to Iniesta, Sergio Busquets looks back to his best with the shift back towards smart positional play. Having more control over the game as well as limiting the danger of the opposition attacks through counter-pressing suits his playing style. It means Busquets has less issues to deal with, which means he can focus more on his game. This allows him to dictate the tempo of the game and progress the team up the pitch.

This performance was given more attention than he usually receives due to his wonder goal. It’s a shame that he doesn’t receive this credit more often because he is one of the most important players for the Catalans. Without him, their structure as a unit is a lot weaker. He allows the different parts of the team to work together cohesively through his intelligent play.

Currently, Valverde seems to favour Barcelona’s traditional formation: 4-3-3. However, it will be interesting to see whether he reverts to a 4-2-3-1, which was his favourite formation at Athletic Bilbao. This change would affect Busquets significantly because he would operate in a double pivot when defending. It would help him defensively, and could be a flexible 4-1-4-1 when attacking.

Busquets is excellent at breaking up attacks through well-timed tackles and interceptions caused by smart positioning. Nonetheless, having someone to help with this side of the role could help him focus on his other responsibilities.

He thrives at being a passing option for the defence in order to progress up the pitch. His ability to control the centre of the pitch allows the creative players the freedom they need. Getting the best out of him will be vital for the upcoming season due to his unique ability.