Barcelona hosted a struggling Villarreal side at the weekend and picked up all three points that saw them reclaim top spot in La Liga. Although it was somewhat a shaky performance against a team that is battling to stay afloat amid the teams facing relegation, the full spoils are something that cannot be taken for granted this season in Spain.
But alas, all is well with the world as every top team drops points but Barcelona and Real Madrid win their games. Just like the olden days, you might say. The manner in which it was done is a different topic altogether.
This tactical analysis will use statistics and insight to dissect the match that saw Barcelona move to the top of the table once again.
Line ups
Barcelona (4-3-3)
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Rakitić, Vidal; Coutinho, Dembelé, Messi.
Bench: Iñaki Peña, Denis Suárez, Malcom, Munir, Aleñá, Miranda, Chumi
Coach: Ernesto Valverde
Villarreal (4-3-2-1)
Starting XI: Asenjo; Mario Gaspar, Álvaro, Víctor Ruiz, Pedraza; Cáseres, Cazorla, Trigueros; Fornals, Chukwuezey; Gerard Moreno.
Bench: Andres Fdez, Funes Mori, Bacca, J.Costa, Toko Ekambi, Raba, Morlanes
Coach: Javier Calleja
Barcelona’s setup
After a questionable performance away in Eindhoven, Ernesto Valverde had a lot to think about going into the next game. In the end, the Basque coach did what everyone expected him to do – nothing much.
The same 11 that graced the pitch against PSV, played at the Camp Nou in front of the home supporters and the results were, again, mostly as expected.
The team played in a 4-3-3 formation throughout the whole game but the players swapped positions regularly as it suited the situations more. Vidal was once again in a free-roam role in the final third as well as in midfield. We saw Messi as a number 10, and Coutinho interchanging between the wings and the left part of the midfield trident.
Villarreal’s setup
Calleja opted for a slightly non-traditional 4-3-2-1 system to face the Catalan giant inside of their fortress, and it proved to be a solid option. In the end, the result may not show it but the Yellow Submarine provided a good performance against the new (old) league leaders.
The return of Asenjo between the sticks and Alvaro at the centre-back position injected additional optimism in their ranks and the injury list is not ideal but also not critical with only three names missing out on the game as opposed to eight on Barcelona’s side.
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