What’s up with Barcelona?
After a disappointing campaign last season, which saw Barcelona crash out of the UCL and continued inconsistent display, Barca’s board relieved Ernesto Valverde of his duties as the head coach. Quique Setien replaced Valverde at the start of 2020.
Eight months since his arrival, Setien’s only hope of survival depends on how Barcelona fairs in the Champions League. The Catalan giants gave away their league crown to arch-rivals, Real Madrid, in July. They also crashed out from the Copa Del Rey after a one-nil defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-finals before the lockdown.
Barcelona topped their UCL group with four victories, claiming 14 points in the process. Lionel Messi and co. were handed SSC Napoli in the round of 16. Their away trip to the Naples ended in a stalemate. The second leg at Camp Nou witnessed Barca winning by 4-2 on aggregate.
The Blaugrana seem to have carried their post-lockdown league form to get the better of Napoli. Quique Setien earned Barcelona 24 points since La Liga restarted with a win percentage of 64% in 11 matches. Barcelona has been the highest-scoring team in Spain’s top tier in the same duration. The Catalans scored 23 goals while conceding seven.
Setien applied a three-man defensive system in his initial games for Barca. He later settled for a 4-3-3 structure. The 4-3-3 formation on paper is converted to a midfield diamond, which resembles a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 or a 4-3-2-1 depending on the choice of players. Speaking of a midfield diamond, Setien’s “anti-Bayern” tactics in a 4-4-2 blueprint were under the spotlight on Tuesday. (News source: SPORT) Considering how the match will be decided on a single-leg fixture, a strategical approach can overpower the tactical theme.