The ability of scoring, creating, dribbling, influencing the game without even touching the ball due to the intensive marking that is used on him, thus creating space for his teammates, a player with such ability shouldn’t be on the wings, he should be in the center of play, the main catalyst for the team’s style; that’s what Pep saw in Messi, and boy did Messi repay his coach’s faith in him. to change formation. Being a product of La Masia himself, Guardiola fully understood the importance of the Academy and the possibilities it holds. Two trophy-less seasons had passed at the Nou Camp when ‘Pep’ Guardiola was appointed manager of FC Barcelona ahead of the 2008/09 season; the above were his words during his presentation to the fans. At times, both Xavi & Iniesta position themselves in their respective half-space where they are facing the gap between the full-back and center back. The main key here that allowed Barcelona to score is the central overload that was created, a 3 vs 2 with Xavi-Iniesta-Messi having an edge over Park and Carrick. “The faster the ball goes further up the field, the faster it will come back at us,” says Guardiola when journalists doubted his style during a press conference. FC Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman already has his starting XI and formation for the upcoming 2020/2021 season. In Pep’s mind, he despises the idea of being a “reactive” side; he always prefers his team to be “proactive” not only in attack, but also in defence. Therefore, Pep’s team became famous for being “possession kings” but people understood it the wrong way therefore labelling the style as “Tiki-taka”. The jury is still out on the two new systems, but one thing is for sure, the pace has quickened up considerably; the build-up is not as slow as what it was last year and the new formation allows for greater gamut of changes through one single game as seen against Manchester City in their Champions League opener where Alaba went from playing left centre-back in a back-three, to left wingback to the left of a midfield diamond in the space of about 45 minutes. Xavi played behind the front three as the deep-lying playmaker and Busquets played the roles of anchor-man and Xavi’s wingman, always moving with him, protecting him from opposing defenders and acting as a foil to receive and spray passes. Also, they could almost never capitalize on quick counter-attacking opportunities. The form of Pique and Puyol also tapered towards the end of his reign which made Barca more susceptible to opposition attacks, the defence being an area he did not address. His intricate interchanges with Messi in the opposition half were among Barcelona’s biggest threats. Bayern coach could tweak formation against Barça Guardiola considering fielding 3 centre-backs. So even one slip-up can be costly. © Copyright 2019 - Ronnie Dog Media All Rights Reserved. To play that in today's game would be outrageous—Guardiola's 2-3-5 with Barcelona … Lewandowski can play as a false 9, play wide by interchanging with the wide players and can even drop deep when needed. The wing-backs' overlapping capabilities overwhelmed oppositions as the formation essentially became 5 up front with threats from every angle. Iniesta would venture further forward as the advanced playmaker, either going central to support the forward trio or taking up the space out wide vacated by Henry or Messi. What aids in this tactic is the positional superiority of the team during the attacking phase, compact and proximate to each other, that will help in performing the pressing scheme in a swift and effective way. Barcelona formation [ system ] 14. Also, Götze has gotten a greater role (Iniesta’s role) and is the leading scorer overall for the club with 5 goals which tells a story in itself. Some of the pressing triggers that Barcelona used, depending on the opposition, were: The picture above shows that the team’s high pressure is passing-lane oriented. In his all-conquering first season, when Barcelona won the treble, Guardiola operated predominantly with a 4-3-3 formation. Detailed. Well, that’s the trick that Barcelona thrived in performing. Avant-centre de formation, ... L'histoire tactique du Barça aurait pu s'arrêter là, et Guardiola aurait peut-être pu continuer à empiler les trophées cette saison. German giants Bayern Munich came calling for Guardiola’s services and he agreed to take over the reins from the 2013-14 season onwards in what was a tough act to follow as his predecessor Jupp Heynckes signed off in some style leading the Bavarians to a historic treble with a team that was devastatingly destructive. Holding possession by moving the ball both laterally and forward with crisp, short passes was the principle that they religiously stuck to. In the typical fashion of a side led by Pep Guardiola, Barça completely dictated the tempo of the match. Subsequently, Guardiola converted Messi into a full-fledged striker from a winger, and Eto’o and Henry would depart. There must be a guideline which the players base their decisions on regarding when to press and when to hold back. This is the exact reason why Guardiola hates the word “tiki-taka”; it means passing the ball for the sake of passing. This formation was another continuation in the triangle system of Guardiola, except that instead of widening the pitch to stretch the defence like at Barca, here the system was about overloading the centre of the park with triangles formed all around the centremost midfielder, usually either Kroos, Lahm or Schweinsteiger. In the second leg, Barca changed their formation to what was effectively a 3–3–1–3, with David Villa in a centre-forward role, allowing Messi space between the lines and completely demolishing Milan's shape, ending in a 4–0 Barcelona victory. Pep used a base formation which was the 4-3-3 but Barcelona were fluid and would often transition into other formations like the 3-4-3 perfected by Guardiols's mentor Johan Cruyff. In 2008–09, FC Barcelona started a new era with a new manager, former captain and Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, who led the team to the first treble in Spanish football history. Madrid were a side perfectly built to expose each and every flaw of this system and it was a matchup nightmare for the German side. Barcelona. FM18 Tiki-Taka Tactic: A Different Version with the 4-3-3 Formation, Inspired by Pep Guardiola. The two withdrawn strikers or attacking mids play a critical role as they alternate between shifting wide or tucking in behind the main striker. Josep Guardiola i Sala dit Pep Guardiola est ce coach du Barça entre 2008 et … centre-back for Jerome Boateng whenever necessary, The evolution of Pep Guardiola's formations from Barcelona to Bayern Munich are not only fascinating from a fan point of view but also provide a great insight into the workings of a great football mind. The problem most teams have, … It involved the full-backs playing almost as midfielders and with Lahm’s solidity no longer present at right-back, it exposed Bayern, who played a high defensive line, to individual mistakes and long passes. Leo didn’t fit the typical profile of a striker who should be tall and muscular, Guardiola saw in him something else, something that made fans all over the world become amazed week in week out after watching the virtuosity of Leo. Pep Guardiola's unstoppable Barça (2008-2012) Relive the achievements one of the most phenomenal teams in sporting history. This move was followed by a one-touch cross from Alves to either Messi or Villa for an easy tap-in. Someone like Javi Martinez and Holger Badstuber, both of whom have played as defensive midfielders, can play centre-back better in this formation as it helps them break up play, even at the cost of leaving their position thanks to added protection from the sides and also helps in their distribution. His players have been trained to use their head before every pass, before every action; for each action there’s a consequent reaction after it. The area targeted will be the furthest diagonal point away from the ball where a skillful winger would be waiting for the switch. Barcelona mostly came up against teams playing with a 4-4-2 defensive formation, when it happened, Dani Alves would push up on the wing along with Xavi shifting towards him also, creating a 2vs1 situation with the opposition’s ball-side winger; the fullback wouldn’t be able to help because Pedro would be pinning him wide and back. Villa as the second striker who stays wide but performs curved runs to the penalty box and finish attacks for being one of the best strikers in Spanish history. Tactically, Barca generally stuck to a 4-3-3 shape throughout the season, playing high up the pitch and pressing from the front. ... Inverting The Pyramid-Barcelona’s 1-2-3-4 formation. When I mentioned that “numbers are of least importance” for Pep, I meant that there is no way the team remains structured in a 4-3-3 in all phases of the game. The two wide CBs had to have to mobility to help cover the width of the pitch. FC Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman already has his starting XI and formation for the upcoming 2020/2021 season. Those movements happen for a reason and not by coincidence as many think; they are carried out for the purpose of generating numerical superiority in areas proximate to the ball. The tactic that made Barcelona look like packs of wolves chasing a prey, at first sight you’d think that the team consists of school students playing during their recess, giving it their all without a pinch of egoism. Behind that trio was Sergio Busquets, promoted from the B team, in the holding role, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta to his right and left respectively. Pep Guardiola is amongst the most thought provoking tactical intellectual’s of football history, and is the pioneer for tactical evolution in the modern age. Josep Guardiola intègre La Masía, le centre de formation du FC Barcelone, le 28 juin 1984 en provenance du Gimnàstic de Manresa.. À partir de 1991, Johan Cruyff le sélectionne comme milieu central de l'équipe première. Opposition bad control of the ball, bad touch, or bad pass. If need be they can even step in to join the midfield to provide extra impetus in attack as the other two centre-backs would then converge to form a back-two. The one in the middle would usually sit deeper as a libero. The home side played a 2-2-6 formation, while the visitors went with an even more ambitious 1-2-7. Accordingly, Götze would do the same, either slipping in behind the two strikers to form a diamond or go wide left. The general recommendations to ensure the fluid flow of the game using this field can be categorized as the following: no more than 3 players can occupy the same horizontal line and no more than 2 players can occupy the same vertical line. While being aggressive though, they have to remain disciplined, as they are the sole defensive cover on the wings. The formation worked against Villareal, because they were attacking by pushing numbers forward, leaving spaces for Barça’s front three. Busquets, the midfield pivot who fits Barcelona’s system perfectly with his composure and brilliance in possession and when without it, his interceptions and reading of the game. Tiki taka of Pep's Barca - formation and tactics. Barcelona. The 3-4-2-1 has been the one that Bayern have gone with more often and it is a very demanding formation. That is decent, though still below par for a coach of … JORDI ALBA. FC Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman already has his starting XI and formation for the upcoming 2020/2021 season. Toni Freixa sees no reason why Pep Guardiola won't go back to manage Barca; Guardiola had a successful four-year stint in charge of Barcelona's first team; He … In 2008–09, FC Barcelona started a new era with a new manager, former captain and Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola, who led the team to the first treble in Spanish football history. 2011-2012: 3-4-3. He was tasked with resurrecting the fortunes of one of the most famous European clubs in football and bringing back the glory days to Catalonia. The classic Barca 4-3-3 was most used, but there were occasional changes to 3-4-3 and even 3-3-4 if the game allowed. SERGIO BUSQUETS. It also allows him to switch from two midfielders and a striker to one midfielder and two strikers (Müller joining Lewandowski) fluidly during a game. 5. While many critics believe that all he did was put together a group of some of the most talented players around, that is not necessarily true. 24 posts Last Pick at the Park. However, the way Guardiola’s team used to defend proved to be the foundation on which teams built their defensive strategy on. Rewinding the events to the summer preceding the 2010/2011 season; Spain had just lifted their first World Cup ever boasting the most talented Spaniards their fans had witnessed in years. R foot. The common occurrence was Busquets in the defensive center of the circle, Xavi closer to him on the right, and Iniesta on the left but in an advanced position. Loves Pep Guardiola. Tribuna.com's editorial team have taken a look at how the starting XI made out of the best Barca's Academy products would look like. Valdes as the sweeper keeper who acts as an extra player to aid in possession and sweeps out of goal to clear any long balls. In the absence of one or both, Alaba and Rafinha tended to play in a more traditional full-back role. For the vast majority of the time, his formations and their underlying ethos have served his teams brilliantly. Xavi with a brilliant switch of body position confused the defence line, complemented by the brilliant movement of Villa and Pedro; starting wide then cutting inside then going back wide again to lose their markers. Avid reader of football articles with a special focus on possession-based teams. Shall he be marked by a holding midfielder to shield passes towards him? Alves is the attacking full back whereas Abidal is the full back that acts more as a third center back but also attacks the wing when needed. If he moved up to support Lewandowski, Lahm would go right to provide width and again would be supported by Boateng. After covering the team’s attacking aspect, the defensive side should be focused on as well.