La Liga 2019/20: Barcelona vs. Athletic Bilbao – tactical analysis

After a hectic draw at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, FC Barcelona welcomed Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou to keep their La Liga title hope alive. Athletic Bilbao came into the clash following a 1-0 win against Real Betis at ‎San Mamés. With Real Madrid back to the winning ways, Barcelona had immense pressure upon their shoulders to grab all three points at their own backyard.

FC Barcelona did manage to edge past the tenth-placed Los Leones with a 1-0 margin at the end of the ninety minutes. Ivan Rakitic scored the winner at the 71st minute with a Lionel Messi assist. In this tactical analysis, were going to look at how the teams lined up, the tactics that both Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao adopted  the attacking styles, the pressing mentality and the defensive attributes of both the sides.

Line-ups 

Quique Setién fielded a conventional 4-3-3, with two changes. Marc-André ter Stegen started infront of the post, with Nelson Semedo, Gerard Piqué, Clément Lenglet, and Jordi Alba completing the four-man back line. Arthur Melo replaced Ivan Rakitić to start alongside Arturo Vidal and Sergio Busquets in midfield. Martin Braithwaite was dropped as Antoine Griezmann started upfront with Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi.

Gaizka Garitano made six changes to the side that faced Real Betis on Saturday. The side started off with a 5-3-2, with 22-year-old Unai Simón on goal. Iñigo Lekue and Mikel Balenziaga started as the wide defenders as the three central defenders included Óscar de Marcos, Unai Núñez, and Yeray Álvarez. The three-man midfield consisted of Iñigo Córdoba, Mikel Vesga, and Unai López. Similarly, Iñaki Williams and twenty-year old Oihan Sancet were the two men upfront.

Barcelonas central attacking route

FC Barcelona, from the start, tried to make their attacking transitions as fluid as possible. When in possession, the Barcelona full-backs were allowed to push forward, hence allowing the side to create overload in the higher areas. Hence, Barcelonas attempts of playing higher were visible, with the team aiming to penetrate Bilbaos narrow block early.