It has been a couple of months since Quique Setién has taken over Ernesto Valverde as the coach of Barcelona. Even though the Catalans are still struggling to get back to their brilliant best, there have been some big changes in their tactics and the general approach of the team, especially in the build-up scheme.
Setién has changed and for the most part improved their build-up patterns, increasing efficiency and adding more tools to their overall arsenal. This tactical analysis will be a scout report on Barcelona’s build-up schemes and will give you an analysis of the team’s tactics when building their attacks.
The goalkeeper as an outfield player
A large part of this tactical analysis scout report will indeed revolve around Marc-André ter Stegen and his ability to be fully utilised as an outfield player rather than just clearing the ball through goal-kicks or throws following a failed attack by the opposition.
Two things have to be noted right from the beginning, however. Firstly, Barcelona’s tendency to build-up from the back is nothing particularly new as this has been their signature move for years now. Setién has only tweaked this so that it is done in a more efficient way that suits his tactics better.
Secondly, using the goalkeeper in the build-up scheme is also something we often connect with Barcelona’s tactics but this tactical analysis scout report will outline the difference in that approach since Setién’s arrival at the club.
Below, you can see a graphic representation of Ter Stegen’s various types of passes since the beginning of 2019/20 season until the final game that was played in La Liga. The vertical red line represents the end of Valverde’s and the beginning of Setién’s tenure.
You can see a clear spike in all of the types of passes as Ter Stegen has been involved more than ever and has even been used as a direct link between the defensive and the forward line. This is a clear feature that was not present in Valverde’s tactics and even though he would play a part in the construction of their attacking tactics, he was never such a focal point.
The main difference between Ter Stegen now and Ter Stegen under Valverde is indeed in his tendency to be used as an outfield player – a centre-back if you will. This is done by simply allowing the goalie to move forward with the ball and position himself in-between his two centre-backs, allowing Barcelona to easily maintain a numerical advantage over the opposition.
