Barcelona: Thomas Vermaelen’s injury limits tactical versatility

The 3-5-2 system worked well against Levante, but the injuries at the centre-back position limits Ernesto Valverde’s tactical options.

Barcelona played in an unfamiliar 3-5-2 shape against Levante due to Nelson Semedo picking up a knock just prior to the match and there wasn’t another right-back in the squad. Ousmane Dembele put in a professional performance in the wing-back position even though it limited his attacking influence and the back three adjusted well to the change. Ivan Rakitic deserves credit as well for slotting into the right centre-back position when Thomas Vermaelen had to go off.

The Belgian centre-back picked up a calf injury which will rule him out for the next four weeks while Samuel Umtiti is still dealing with his knee injury. Therefore, Barcelona only have two fit senior centre-backs available, although Jeison Murillo looks likely to join the club in the winter transfer window.

This means that Valverde will be unable to use the 3-5-2 system against Celta Vigo, unless he is willing to risk using Chumi from Barcelona B, however, he could use it after the winter break if the rumours about Murillo’s transfer are true.

Against Levante, they started slowly due to the players still adjusting to the positions and the spacings between each other. Gerard Pique did a good job of ensuring that Dembele was adequately supported, so the opposition struggled to isolate him in dangerous situations. They lacked fluidity going forwards in the first half, but defensive mistakes from Levante allowed Barca, and Lionel Messi in particular, to profit. He ended the game with a hat-trick and two assists.

The second half saw them dominate as everything clicked into gear with Messi able to dictate proceedings. Arturo Vidal made intelligent runs into space the Argentine vacated so he essentially fitted into the midfield, while Luis Suarez also kept the defence occupied. Having an extra centre-back ensured the defence wasn’t as isolated when they were able to get behind the midfield, so they were harder to break down and this gave the midfield chance to get back into the defensive shape.

There was a clear preference for progressing play down the right side central areas as Pique, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Messi attempted the most passes out of the Barcelona players, so it’s no surprise that the Catalans were able to profit from consistent service to Messi. This formation allowed them to effectively press Levante high up the pitch even though they also had three at the back and the first goal came as a direct result of that because Levante were dispossessed close to their own goal after trying to play out from the back.

This match was a promising sign for the future in regards to this formation even if it was a last-minute solution as it gives Barcelona some tactical versatility and provides Valverde with another option for big games. Roma effectively used a 3-5-2 against them last season, so this is a potential solution to avoid getting caught out like that again as they matched up well with Levante who were using the same set-up. The only issue is Dembele doesn’t fit into this formation seamlessly, but it’s an effective alternative if the 4-3-3 isn’t working.

It could be a while before this formation is seen again, though, as Barcelona’s injuries are likely to force Valverde back to using the 4-3-3 and he could opt to stick with that as the players know it best.