Barcelona came away from Estadio Riazor with a 4-2 victory to win the league title.
The Catalans didn’t make it easy for themselves because they squandered a two-goal lead before finally asserting their dominance near the end. They had Lionel Messi to thank for another stunning performance as he scored a hat-trick to ensure victory.
Ernesto Valverde opted for a radical lineup, by his standards, because he used a 4-3-3 formation with both Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele starting. This was probably due to Deportivo’s place in the league standings because this defeat confirmed relegation for them. Having this set-up worked well in an attacking sense, but it impacted how much they controlled the game. Barcelona lacked solidity defensively and weren’t able to control the tempo in key moments.
Coutinho
Both Dembele and Coutinho are still learning their roles in the team. This performance vindicated some of Valverde’s decisions in previous games. The Brazilian’s attacking midfield tendencies override his central midfield responsibilities at times. This leads to him charging into openings rather than being patient. His movement can leave Barca destabilised centrally which affects ball circulation and can leave Jordi Alba isolated on the left side.
His weaknesses highlight part of the reason why Andres Iniesta was so good. He had a great understanding of when to progress or when to wait for other openings with his positioning being key to this. This was tied into his knowledge of the team’s shape and whether they were in a good position to advance into the final third. Without this, Barca ended up chasing every opening against Deportivo; the game was really exciting because of this but it was also way too open.
Iniesta is also adept at covering passing lanes and knowing when to press an opponent. These are areas that Coutinho needs to develop, but he definitely appears willing to improve. The pressing is an important area because Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are a lot more aggressive in this area, whereas, Barca pick their moments. Therefore Coutinho has been forced to adapt tactically.
Dembele
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Dembele’s issue is his defensive work and tracking back. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi have little participation in the defensive shape with the majority of their work coming in the counter-pressing when Barcelona are in transition. The Catalans can’t afford to have three players who do little defensively, which is why Dembele is part of the midfield four in the 4-4-2 defensive shape. Having another midfielder instead of Dembele, which Valverde has used for the majority of the season, ensures solidity in this regard.
This is part of the reason why Antoine Griezmann is such an attractive proposition as well as his obvious attacking quality. At Atletico Madrid, he helps out in midfield by putting pressure on the ball and forcing play wide so Atleti can press and force a turnover. Having him at Barca could potentially allow Dembele to do little defensively alongside Lionel Messi.
Both Dembele and Coutinho will have integral roles at Barca in the upcoming seasons, but they still have a lot to learn if they want to seamlessly fit into Barcelona’s traditional 4-3-3 set-up. The 4-4-2 has worked wonders this season, but it would be a surprise to see this continue in the long-term.
Next: Barcelona claim La Liga title with Deportivo victory
Valverde’s changes
Deportivo equalised in the 64th minute after a well-worked move which ended with Emre Colak firing into the net. This forced Valverde into life with Denis Suarez coming on for Dembele and Paulinho replacing Coutinho not long after. These changes allowed Barca to absorb Deportivo’s pressure and assert more control over the game.
Denis may not be as technically gifted as Coutinho, but he does understand the role better than the Brazilian. He is less likely to try and force openings and is better at ball retention in the midfield areas. Coutinho can sometimes vacate the right position which hinders the team’s progression by forcing risky long balls.
Paulinho adds the ability to break up play as well as well-timed forward runs. Therefore, the added midfield presence he provided limited the space Deportivo had to work in while also ensuring Barca had another midfield passing option in midfield.
The changes gave Barca a solid base to work from so they were able to properly capitalise on openings. Messi finished two moves after lovely link-up play with Denis and Suarez to take the game away from the Galicians and complete his hat-trick. Gerard Pique should have scored as well, but he missed a sitter.
This performance will have certainly given Valverde a lot to think about for the upcoming El Clasico. Real Madrid are the toughest challenge remaining to Barcelona’s unbeaten league record.