La Liga 2019: Tactical analysis of Barcelona's possible formations and line up following Griezmann's arrival

With the issue of Antoine Griezmann's signing, unveiling and jersey number now out of the way, all attention would turn to how he would fit into the Barcelona squad and strengthen their claim for glory next season.

The Frenchman comes with a high reputation and this coupled with his sizable transfer fee means he would be an instant addition to the starting lineup.

Ernesto Valverde would attempt to get the best out of the 28-year-old on an individual level, as well as on a collective.

There are a number of tactical twitches and systems Valverde could employ to accommodate Griezmann in his team and that is the subject of this piece, while also highlighting how his arrival would affect other players in the Barcelona squad particularly in midfield.

The key factor is that Antoine Griezmann can play anywhere across the front line and the easiest and most logical decision would be to slot him straight onto the left flank of attack, effectively replacing Dembele/Coutinho in what is Barcelona's traditional system of 4-3-3, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez complementing him in attack.

Griezmann could slot in out wide in a classic 4-3-3

Neither Lionel Messi nor Luis Suarez actively get involved in pressing upfront or tracking back to defend, so this formation would become a mid-block 4-4-2 when defending, with Rakitic maintaining his balancing act for Messi on the right while Griezmann automatically drops back into left midfield.

When defending, Griezmann would drop back into midfield to cover Jordi Alba while Rakitc would balance for Messi

This is crucial, as Jordi Alba has shown to be defensively suspect over the years and this weakness was exposed on many occasions last season when he had the less defensively solid Coutinho ahead of him.

A variant to this formation could see Griezmann going out to the other flank as a RWF, with Dembele complementing him on the other wing while Messi plays centrally as a false 9 at the expense of Luis Suarez.

Griezmann would be deployed on the right, while Messi stays central with Dembele on the left

With this variant, Barcelona would be playing to the strengths of both Griezmann who prefers to drift in onto his left foot rather than play out wide on the left, as well as Lionel Messi who played some of the best football of his career under Pep Guardiola as a false 9.

This would have a further consequence in midfield, as Arthur would enter the fray at the expense of Ivan Rakitic (more on the Arthur/Rakitic/Suarez connection later).

Another formation which is highly erratic and improbable would see Messi lineup directly behind Griezmann in what would be 4-4-1-1, with Ousmane Dembele out wide on the right, while Coutinho/Malcom occupies the left midfield spot.

This erratic formation would leave Barcelona short in midfield

The obvious drawback to this formation is that Barcelona would find themselves heavily short legged in midfield, while there is also a tendency for Griezmann and Messi to get in each other's way.

This brings us to what I consider to be the best approach to getting the best out of Antoine Griezmann and his Barcelona teammates.

During his Atleti career, Griezmann was deployed as the focal point of attack on occasion and this is a role he could reprise at Barcelona, playing as the center-forward, with Messi on his right and Dembele on his left.

Again this would see Luis Suarez drop out, as well as Arthur starting in midfield.

This formation would make Barcelona more balanced

As established, Ernesto Valverde is an extremely pragmatic coach who values solidity ahead of aesthetics and while his style might not be everyone's cup of tea, the bottom line is that he is probably not going to change his playing style anytime soon.

With Luis Suarez in attack, Barcelona effectively defend with eight men, as neither him nor Lionel Messi actively involve themselves in pressing upfront. While Messi over the years has tracked backed to recover possession, Suarez on the other hand, frankly has not had the legs to do so.

This leaves the Barcelona midfield with a lot of ground to cover, both going forward and in tracking opposition players runs.

Suarez and Messi don't track back to defend

It also gives them the dilemma of having to choose between stepping ahead to cover the spaces left by Messi and Suarez or giving their opponents space and time to pick a pass and this dilemma has seen Barcelona harmed on multiple occasions by opposition teams who had deep lying midfielders with an eye and technique for long passes.

Just think of Marco Veratti's imperious display in the 4-0 Champions League drubbing in 2017 as well as Parejo's passes in the Copa del Rey final loss last season as proof of this.

Lionel Messi can be afforded the luxury of being a passenger and strolling around while defending because he is Messi, but having two forwards in the same team who contribute next to nothing while defending is tantamount to disaster.

This is where Griezmann comes in, as the hardworking ethos instilled in him by Simeone as well as his younger age and higher work ethic than Luis Suarez means that he is more prone to pressing defenders and attempting to win the ball off them, giving them less space and time to think.

When defending, Griezmann would drop deep in a central role to become the first line of defense

The first line of defense is in attack and with Griezmann ahead of them, the Barcelona midfielders would have one less job to worry about and this helps explain the Arthur/Rakitic swap in the middle of the park.

As noticed, in any formation featuring Suarez, Rakitic was the preferred of the duo and this is because as established, having the Uruguayan upfront leaves the Barcelona midfield with a lot of work to do and seeing as Arthur is a more Xaviesque kind of player, he is less suitable than Rakitic for the extra work and running demanded with Suarez leading the line.

Arturo Vidal could also feature in Rakitic's absence, as he possesses the physicality and energy to complement for Suarez's shortcomings upfront.

However, if Griezmann starts centrally, then Arthur's guile and technique on the ball would come in more handy, as Barcelona would then need someone who can distribute possession and maintain calm in the middle.

This formation plays to Griezmann and Dembele's strengths

This formation also plays very well to the abilities of all three men upfront, as Griezmann is a more than decent goalscorer in his own right and would complement Luis Suarez's numbers in front of goal, while also offering more defensive solidity than the former Liverpool man.

For all the flak he has received, Ousmane Dembele still has a lot to offer Barcelona as evidenced by some of his displays last season and very crucially, he brings extreme pace to the table which is something that is sorely lacking in Griezmann, Messi and Suarez.

If Ousmane Dembele can remain injury free or stay at the club for that matter, he should be a sure starter next season and that leaves Luis Suarez as the expendable option upfront.

This is by no means an attempt to disparage the Barcelona number nine or all that he has achieved, as this writer actually holds him in high regards, but at 32, the cold hard facts are that he is no longer the force of nature he once was.

To surmise, all the various formations listed have their uses and would probably come into play during the coming season at one point or the other but with Barcelona almost done with their transfer business, the ball is now in the court of Valverde to get his team working.

Over to you señor.