This match could have been decisive for La Liga. Barcelona needed a win to keep fighting for the title and maintain the four-point distance with first-qualified Real Madrid, but they had to overcome the most inform team in the league, fifth-placed Villarreal.
The team led by Quique Setién had some very interesting surprises in their tactics, and we will look to understand them in this tactical analysis. Villarreal didn’t expect these changes and when they tried to adapt it was too late and Barcelona were already winning notably.
Lineups
Villarreal introduced five changes from their victory against Betis. Mario Gaspar substituted Rubén Peña on the right-back, providing a more defensive profile; in midfield, Iborra came in for Trigueros to add strength in defence and threat in set-pieces; and in attack Chukwueze and Cazorla acted on the wings instead of Ontiveros and Moi Gómez, while Paco Alcácer came in for Carlos Bacca up top. They used their typical 4-4-2 formation but chose more direct players to exploit Barcelona’s high defensive line.
Barcelona only made two changes to their starting lineup, with Antoine Griezmann coming in for Riqui Puig and Sergi Roberto playing in the place of Ivan Rakitic. However, the main change was in their tactics, as the front three acted very central, with Messi behind Griezmann and Suárez instead of using two wingers and a lone striker. In this analysis, we will see how this improved Barcelona’s attacks.
