#4 The defensive high-line: Smart or Risky?
A prominent feature in the Barcelona defense this season has been the high line that the club has maintained in their games leading to a number of offside calls going against their opposition. While the high line has been very successful tonight, it has proven to be an extremely risky move, especially against teams that possess fast attacking players. The question is, will Luis Enrique deploy the high line against teams like Manchester City and Real Madrid?
Pushing the defensive line forward when the ball is out of possession is probably one of the riskiest moves, with players like Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne in the ranks. Manchester City could punish Barcelona who is without both Gerrard Pique and Jeremy Mathieu for their game on Tuesday. Umtiti and Mascherano are not the fastest players you will find and expect Aguero to be a nuisance on Tuesday if the high-line will be back.
