After suffering one of the most humiliating defeats in their history against Bayern München, Barcelona made their official debut in this seasons La Liga in an expectedly difficult match against Villarreal. It was also Unai Emerys return to Camp Nou, where he had been defeated in each of his 12 previous matches, the last one being the famous 6-1 comeback against PSG in the UEFA Champions League.
The match was the beginning of Ronald Koemans Barcelona and the first official appearance of Lionel Messi after trying to leave the club. On the other side, Villarreal arrived in Barcelona after getting four points in the first two matches and wanting to extend their unbeaten run. In this tactical analysis, we will have a look at the tactics used by both coaches.
Lineups
In his debut as Barcelonas coach, Koeman opted for the 4-2-3-1 formation he had been using in the preseason, with Neto substituting injured ter Stegen; the expected back-four formed by Sergi Roberto, Gerard Piqué, Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba; two defensive midfielders in Sergio Busquets and Frenkie De Jong; and an attack formed by Lionel Messi as a false nine with Ansu Fati, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann behind him but with lots of freedom to move.
On the other side, Villarreal used Emerys classical 4-4-2. In the defensive line, the only news was the inclusion of the recently signed Pervis Estupiñán as the left-back; midfield was formed by Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin in the centre, Samu Chukwueze on the right and Moi Gómez on the left but with the freedom to drift inside. In the attacking line, Gerard Moreno and Paco Alcácer formed the striker partnership.
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