Article: Could we play the Barcelona formation and would it affect where we need to strengthen? | Football, Tottenham

Chelsea scored a ton of goals under Mourinho, too.
It was still ****ing boring!

Barca tire teams out through possession and drag them all over the place for minutes at a time, then create a good chance and take it.
The goals are interesting and exciting, but the massive gaps between them where they're just keeping the ball for absolutely ages are not.

Xavi isn't directly involved in a lot of their goals, by the way.
It's one of the things that I've enjoyed bashing Gooners for a while.

 

In what way is Barcelona's formation unique?

 

They play without a recognised centre-forward?
What the hell is Villa, then?

Their formation is basically a 4-5-1.
It's not unique.
It's not even extraordinary.
It's the personnel and the style of play that are.

 

Effectively, Barca play any damn way they please - and, there is very little that virtually any other team can do about it. They are that good!
I agree with PNP to some extent, in that it's sometimes reminiscent of a cat playing with a mouse before they finally kill it.

 

You can put names in formations all night, it means nothing. Barca have a team capable of 20 passes a goal as an average number, some have contained 40 passes.

Spurs play in the Premier League where you will never be given the time to make that many...which is just aswell for some of our players, who find extreme difficulty making one accurate pass, let alone many. MOTD pundits cream themselves only a couple of times a season when United or the Goons string a 20 pass goal together.

 

Busquets drops in as a 3rd CB and the full backs bomb on even higher is another tactic they use. When Barca do not create they are still good to watch. Because like i said before they are not ponderous on the ball. Its slick and the ball is moved at a pace which means the game does not loose its tempo. So in times where they are not creating they keep the ball with slick one touch passing. Watching Messi,Iniesta and Xavi ping the ball about for fun is something to watch.

 

Villa plays as a inside forward for Barca. He has never played through the middle for Barcelona. Messi starts from the middle and then drops deep to join the passing and creating. Then Pedro and Villa make runs from out to in and do their stuff.

 

An inside forward?
What year is this?

Players move around in any team.
A striker dropping deep or going wide isn't unique, by any means.
Robbie ****ing Keane does that.
A holding player joining the defence and full-backs pushing on is absolutely normal, too.

Arsenal's formation is very similar, though they're obviously not as good.

 

No Villa starts out wide from the start of the game, hence he is not a centre forward for Barcelona. He is not doing what say someone like Henry used to do which is start from the middle then drift wide. Villa starts on either side with Messi starting from the middle. Hence they call him a false 9,because he never actually stays there. Most of the time the CB's do not have anyone to mark.

 

So because Barca's players move around a bit more than normal, they play a non-standard formation?
Ridiculous.

Van Persie often drifts about too, so I guess Arsenal also play Barca's unique formation.
Oh, hang on...

 

Villa STARTS from the wings and Van Persie STARTS from the middle. Hence they are different. How can you call Villa a centre forward when he never actually plays or starts there? His main task is to stay out wide and beat his man then make the run from out to in. Pedro is not called a centre forward for a reason, because like Villa he is not one for Barcelona.

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There's very little point in trying to man mark players of that calibre. 4-5 of Barca's players would walk into any team, anywhere in the world, and one of them is one of the greatest - possibly THE greatest, of all time. THAT is what you are up against, not some formation, or lack of, depending how you see it.

 

Zonalmarking.net?
It must be true, then!
You're suggesting that Villa's a winger that likes to cut in, which isn't how I see it, but wouldn't make him unique even it that were the case.

If Barca's formation was actually the back four, a holding midfielder, a creative midfielder and then four attackers that change positions, then it would still be extremely similar to Arsenal's system.
NSIS is right.

 

For Barca he is. He has never started from the middle,therefore he is not a centre forward.

 

http://www.barcablaugranes.com/2011/7/26/2293559/fc-barcelona-2010-11-season-in-review-david-villa

An analysis from a Barca fan on what Villa does for Barca.

'Throughout his career Villa played as a striker but Guardiola moved him to the wing, usually on the left side but he was often found on the other flank as well. Despite the change of playing position Villa had a good start to the season. Several non-La Masia graduates have struggled in the past to get on the same page with Lionel Messi, but David didn't have the same problems. With Pedro on the other wing the MVP line looked destined to break all kinds of records'

 

No, Messi's a false number 9 (whatever the hell that means) because he wanders about a bit, like Tevez.

 

He is. But he is called a false 9 because he never actually makes runs beyond the defenders like a nomal forward. He drops deep to get the ball and also pass and move then he would run direct towards the goal.

 

Messi does run beyond the defenders and the rest of the description you've given also applies to lots of other forwards, like Rooney and Tevez.

 

It is a bit now. Villa started on the left at the start of season then for some reason Barca moved him to the right. But he has never played in the middle. Messi plays there.

 

I thought Messi didn't play there?
Make your mind up.