3-4-3

épieur · April 8, 2012

Good video on how Barca have been lining up for much of this season:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFEfkgrwO8

A back three of Alves, Mascherano and Abidal should spell murder on paper, but they still have the best defence in la liga (bear in mind, defence-aficionado Mourinho coaches there too). I think Guardiola is really dispelling a lot of pre-conceptions about how football can be played in the modern era.

People say that anyone could coach this barca team, but to my mind they simply haven't been paying attention to what happens when barca plays. Guardiola is to my mind the most innovative coach the game has seen in a long time. He has set a new standard for pressing opponents that no team is capable of replicating even 4 years after he began implementing it. And likewise a new standard of possession football that one imagines will never be replicated to the same degree by anyone (Brendan Rodgers I think is perhaps the best example of someone adopting this new philosophy. His team dominates possession home and away even against top 4 opposition).

The way he uses his frontline is likewise innovative. It's not just Messi as a the 'false 9' - the wingers are utterly unorthodox in the way they support the centre. It's not coincidence that players of great ability who have shone in other clubs have joined barca and looked totally out of place. This style of play isn't one that lifts up players because they are surrounded by world class players. It's one that demands more of players than what they have played anywhere else.

Imo, we aren't just watching one of the best sides of all time. We're watching the forefront of modern tactical innovation that the next generation of coaches will be trying to emulate ten years from now.

Edited April 8, 2012 by epieur

drdooom · April 8, 2012

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