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FC Barcelona are without doubt, up there in the best teams of the century. Known for their possession football, youth academy, skilled players, philosophy and indeed, possession of the world’s best player in Lionel Messi, Barcelona have become a force to reckon with in world football. But are they unbeatable? Most certainly not. Here are some of the things needed for teams to trouble and maybe even come out with a win against Barcelona.
1. The Anchor Man
Anchorman = No goals for Messi, Villa or Pedro.
Last year, Real Madrid could have easily defeated Barcelona, especially at home. They had Pepe in the holding role, protecting the back four and all the Barcelona attacks seemed to be nullified. However, once Pepe was sent off, Real Madrid crumbled, eventually losing 2-0. An anchorman is vital for any hopes of stopping the Barcelona attacks initiated by Xavi or Iniesta (and now Fabregas) – if one is present, the opposition team is basically cutting off the supply to Pedro, Villa or Messi.
2. Patience
Real Madrid have been known to lose patience when playing fierce rivals, Barcelona.
There will always be periods in the game where Barcelona will simply outclass the opposition and hold on to the ball with their brilliant passing and movement. With possession ranging from 60% and higher, the opposition team is likely to get frustrated. This could lead to challenges causing unnecessary yellow cards and even red cards. This would be disastrous for any opposition team who desperately need a win and lower their chances of coming away from the game without a defeat. Hence, patience is the key.
3. Counter-Attack
Bendtner scores at the Nou Camp after Walcott broke away on the counter.
The Barcelona attacks are always going to break down sooner or later so once this happens, a team MUST counter-attack. Their defenders may be good, but they lack pace and launching a counter-attack is the best possible way to score a goal, especially at the Nou Camp. Best example? Nicklas Bendtner’s goal against Barcelona for Arsenal in the 2009-2010 season. Read the next point.
4. Pace
Maxwell was left chasing Walcott whose pace, played a huge role in Arsenal's comeback from 2-0 to 2-2 in 2010.
As mentioned, one of Barcelona’s weaknesses, especially in defense, is pace. The previous point spoke about counter-attacking football, and the best way to implement this is with speed merchants like Walcott, Ronaldo or Pato. On the break, Barcelona can easily be penetrated, especially with pace, as demonstrated by Theo Walcott when Arsenal and Barcelona met in 2010. Opposition team can either start with these fast players or bring on these fast players on as substitute trump cards, to outrun all the tired players on the pitch and cause attacking threats. Another brilliant example of pace being used against Barcelona, however not on the counter-attack, is AC Milan‘s Alexandre Pato and his recent goal against Barcelona in the Nou Camp.
5. Height Advantage
Thiago Silva used his height and physical presence to his advantage, equalizing for AC Milan.
One aspect of Barcelona’s game, many teams don’t exploit is their size. Most of the Barcelona’s players are relatively small and lack physical presence. This can be easily exploited during free kicks or corners – excluding Pique or Busquets, there really isn’t any Barcelona player with a height advantage which can prevent attacking threats during set-pieces so opposition teams, like AC Milan have done, must use their players’ physical presence to their advantage.
6. Luck
Pato capitalized on a lapse in concentration from the Barcelona defense.
Even if all these tactics and methods are used against Barcelona, an opposition team will always need luck. Who knows what can go wrong? From injuries to undeserved red cards to own goals to lapses in concentration, an opposition team needs Lady Luck on their side in order to prevail against this monster of a team, Barcelona.
