Barcelona : Analysis of 4-2-3-1 formation

Ernesto Valverde experimented with the 4-2-3-1 formation against Girona and it paid off

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Ernesto Valverde has shown, like his predecessor, that he is not afraid to experiment. This is very much unlike the head coaches of old, like Pep Guardiola and Frank Rijkaard. Guardiola and Rijkaard stuck with their formations from their first game in charge to the last.

But that is not the case when it comes to Valverde. Neither Luis Enrique nor Ernesto Valverde have shown any hesitation in messing around with their formations. Especially, Lucho used no less than five formations in his last season in charge of the club.

And Ernesto Valverde is following in his footsteps. Till now, Valverde had stuck to the reliable 4-3-3 but he switched it up against Girona. In a match laced with political tension, the Basque coach did not shy away from using an unconventional formation.

The Catalan Derby against Girona

He used the 4-2-3-1 formation, and it paid off. Barcelona went for a direct style of play rather than tiki-taka and it resulted in a dynamic performance. But it also showed that La Liga is slowly adapting to the football played in the rest of the European leagues.

Since the defence was as usual, the performance was good. But the midfield reacted differently to the experiment. Ivan Rakitić had to perform the duties of Sergio Busquets and he couldn’t quite match the Spaniard.

But Paulinho, who had replaced Busquets in the starting lineup played the usual role of Rakitić to perfection. He dropped down to help out the defence while also being involved in the attacks often.

But the only problem was with the attacking midfield, as it is called in the Premier League. Lionel Messi did not get the freedom he usually gets in a 4-3-3. The traditional Barca formation is very fluid, the the 4-2-3-1 is not so. His influence on the game was limited although he was able to draw many fouls.

On the right hand side, Aleix Vidal was able to play his natural game, that of a winger. He was very good. But on the left, Andrés Iniesta failed to make an impression. The Girona defenders were able to tackle him easily. In this case, it was similar to Messi’s situation – lack of freedom.

But Luis Suárez was able to flourish. He settled back into the position that he had mastered when playing in the Premier League for Liverpool. Although he could not replicate his form last season, he showed some good skills. That includes the dummy that led to Barcelona’s second goal and the third goal he scored himself.

But Aleix Vidal and Paulinho came in for Ousmane Dembélé and Sergio Busquets respectively.

Sergio Busquets showed that he cannot adapt to new formations last season. And Ousmane Dembélé will have trouble cutting because the right side of the attacking midfield belongs to a winger, not a forward.

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Therefore, it’s best if Valverde does not persist with this formation in the big games.