Barcelona kickstarted their 2018/19 La Liga campaign in the worst way possible, slumping to a narrow defeat against Athletic Bilbao. The Spanish champions will host Real Betis next weekend, in what will be their first home game of the season. And manager Ernesto Valverde needs to rectify his side’s poor performance with some necessary changes.
More security in midfield
Barcelona’s transition play against Bilbao was excellent as always despite the absence of Sergio Busquets. But at the same time, the Blaugrana failed to provide defensive solidity in the middle third of the pitch.
Frenkie de Jong initially played the role of a holding midfielder. But, his lack of defensive qualities was evident, and that’s where Barcelona may have lacked the presence of someone like Busquets. The Spaniard is primarily known for his passing. But it is his excellent anticipation that allows him to cut off passing lanes in midfield, helping him cover the backline.
Therefore, Valverde should contemplate starting with de Jong operating in an advanced midfield role. This should enhance Barcelona’s transition play while helping them become more reliable without the ball.
A free role for the wingers
One of the main reasons why Barcelona failed to break down the rigid Athletic Bilbao defence was the lack of freedom provided to their wingers. Griezmann, in particular, almost seemed restricted to a wide-role, without having the license to move into a central role up until the substitution of Luis Suarez.
Ousmane Dembele too only made runs into the byline and none of his crosses was accurate either. As a result, the visitors struggled to break the shackles of the Bilbao defence. Next weekend, however, Valverde should deploy the offensive trifecta of Suarez, Griezmann and Dembele in a free-flowing role.
That means all three forwards will have the license to interchange positions and regularly switch flanks, making it more difficult for the opposition to keep tabs on any of them. They can even drop back and receive the ball from midfield, much like how Liverpool operate under Jurgen Klopp.
Better support from fullbacks
Fullbacks play a crucial role in modern football. In fact, they have become one of the primary sources of productivity for every top club in Europe. But against Bilbao, the wide defensive duo of Nelson Semedo and Jordi Alba failed to provide adequate service to the attackers.
This was mainly due to the lack of movement from the wingers into a central area, which led to them occupying the wider attacking zones. As a result, the fullbacks were restricted to operating in a deeper role and not making any overlapping runs in behind the backline.
Valverde can resolve this issue by allowing his wingers to operate in a more compact shape with the central striker, allowing the fullbacks to provide the width in the attack.
