Barcelona - The Easy Things to Replicate

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Jimmy Squarefoot

Jimmy Squarefoot

Well-Known Member
May 9, 2011
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Yet again, we witnessed another masterclass from Messi and Co. How can other teams replicate the Barca model? Well it's extremely difficult to be honest because you still need top class players who are technically superior.

Learning how to control the ball impeccably is a gift and takes years to hone, having vision and intelligence is something your born with and develop through the years. However, there are 2 aspects to their game which are massively underrated and overshadowed - these are things that every club CAN do without years of training and being born with immense Messi/Ronaldo like talent.

Closing Down/Pressing

It's a very simple concept - don't give the oppositon any time on the ball, win it, then keep it.

Reduce their time on the ball = Forces them to make quick/rash decision = less compsure = lose the ball.

And by winning the ball high up the pitch, it means that your attackers don't have to exert too much energy running. Imagine if we're defending deep in our half, Suarez wins the ball and then has to run 2/3's of the pitch along with the other attackers who will support him.

Supporting the attack

Another feature to Barca's game is their abilty to get numbers up front and support the striker. How many times did we see Alves running up the wing and have a lot of players around him to pass to.

This has been a massive problem for Liverpool this season. Wingers look for a man and there is usually only 1 person to aim for (at most). It's almost as if we're scared to commit men forward.

The more bodies in the area or in those positions, the likelier your pass or cross will find a target.
 
Barcalona's midfield never ever EVER stops moving around in patterns to receive the ball. The technique of movement of the body without moving the ball is brilliant, it moves players all over the place and away from where they want to pass it. They tap the ball into space when its tight rather than taking it into feet and controlling. Brilliant awareness of where each other are, great controlled pressing game. The trainging I would love to sit and watch, not only on the training ground but also the video and whiteboard stuff too


2009 we had such a pressing game and were very hard to play against. Alonso was our Xavi
 
LFC-009 said:
I believe all clubs strive to win matches and to play good football?
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Of course, but all clubs have their won way of doing things. If all clubs played in the same way it would be pretty boring.
 
Gerrez Carrard OR Suarrol said:
Nobody should, all clubs have their own approach and style.
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Style and flair will always be down to who's on the roster, but the individual elements of their game are worthy of study. They have players that were elsewhee and did not look so nearly as accomplished on a football as they are now. They even got Masc to learn how to pass a pall.

Other clubs have been watching ever since the CL final against United. Trust me, you see players every week in the prem trying little barcaseque things with little touches and darting little runs, turns. Stuff that was not happening before. Barca are already being copied, unlike real which are always a bunch of good players in a mix being no different from most other top sides Barca are unique, I think they'd be able to improve any player playing in the prem right now
 
Tbh if we are looking to win the PL then its the manu style that should be used(if any). As it been shown time and time again soaking up pressure and being quick on the counter-attack has been the most effective tactic in the PL for the last 20years.Trying to copy maybe the best team thats ever played the game (barca not Manu) maybe a tad overoptimistic although times do change!
 
Lovely to watch but not the perfect game obviously; currently ten points behind in the league; ten points is quite a margin to be behind for a team being called the greatest ever.

Doesn't mean that you couldn't learn a thing or two from them though lol.
 
Guys - good points but I wasn't really talking about the style of play as such i.e. quick passing, technique etc.

I was trying to emphasise on the BASICS that they do which are closing down quickly and getting bodies in the box.
 
if you look at thier passing its one touch and actually they expend relatively little energy especially in the middle third, thier passing really speeds up in the final third.

all in all i think they work hard and have some right donkeys like abidal, pique and puyol as well... and i mean donkeys....

For us to just simply press and close down and then take advantage of that but putting mroe men in the box requires three things;

1. legs in midfield... alsonso and maschernao would always to the charts on opta for running, adam and gerrard have no ability i nthis regard.

2. speed at the back, with skertl and agger allied with jonhson and enrique you could say we were covered... not now with carragher.

3. a high offside line, again eeds defence but also pepe sweeping up.

This is all predicated on not having an english style side lobbing long balls over the top into channels... barca have not meet that have they? <laugh> pressing = good, but people have to work very much harder than simply turning their back on the CBs and trotting off 20/30 yards upfield like we do now.
 
moreinjuredthanowen said:
if you look at thier passing its one touch and actually they expend relatively little energy especially in the middle third, thier passing really speeds up in the final third.

all in all i think they work hard and have some right donkeys like abidal, pique and puyol as well... and i mean donkeys....

For us to just simply press and close down and then take advantage of that but putting mroe men in the box requires three things;

1. legs in midfield... alsonso and maschernao would always to the charts on opta for running, adam and gerrard have no ability i nthis regard.

2. speed at the back, with skertl and agger allied with jonhson and enrique you could say we were covered... not now with carragher.

3. a high offside line, again eeds defence but also pepe sweeping up.

This is all predicated on not having an english style side lobbing long balls over the top into channels... barca have not meet that have they? <laugh> pressing = good, but people have to work very much harder than simply turning their back on the CBs and trotting off 20/30 yards upfield like we do now.
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I'd like to add:

4.) Look no further than Roma as to how trying to Barca style in another league, with a completely different style might not work. You need certain players for it all to work.

With that being said, the closing down I think we do OK, but can do it better higher up the pitch. The people in the box point is bang on though, I hate how no one on our team wants to get in the box and score, Forwards Midfielders, most of the time it is a defender who gets on the end of a ball in the box!
 
agreed.

I think when carragher plays we drop so deep. the defenders need to force themselves out higher to keep the midfield up too.
 
I know carra is a legend but surely he is done or almost done now? Why don't we give Coates the chance to play alongside Skrtel, he has done it on the big stages so I don't think the Prem would frighten him, he might have to get some grips on the style but I would like to see coates, not carra, in for the remainder or until Agger comes back.

If not Coates, then Kelly if Johno is fit.
 
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