Barcelona’s front three over the past decade – tactical analysis

For some time now, Barcelona have boasted one of the worlds most feared attacks. From 2011 when Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa lined up together, to the famous MSN combination of Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar right through to the modern day, with Messi, Suárez and Antoine Griezmann,

Barcelona tactical evolution through this time has been substantial. From the glory days of tiki-taka under Pep Guardiola, through to the more pragmatic approaches preferred by his successors, as this analysis will prove by considering how the front line was affected by this transition.

This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of the Barcelona front line as it has evolved, in La Liga, in the Copa del Rey and in the Champions League between 2011 and 2020. It will give an analysis of his tactics within the set-ups of, primarily, Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde to show how Barcelona have combined some of the worlds greatest attackers.

Messi-Villa-Pedro

Many argued that the 2010/11 side of Barcelona was the greatest that the club had ever seen. It involved a front three of Messi, Villa and Pedro which was, without any doubt, the most flexible of any of the attacks which Barcelona have had. As can be seen in this example in a Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid, the default position would be to have Messi on the right, Villa through the middle and Pedro on the left. While that was often the line-up drawn out on teamsheets and in newspapers, it was rarely so fixed once the first whistle blew and that flexibility would become a key element to Barcelonas success and how Guardiola kept baffling opposition defences so regularly.

It is also worth noting quite how heavily Barcelona relied upon width, at least on one flank. This will be one of the greatest changes throughout the decade, but as can be seen here, at almost all times at least one of the front three is hugging the touchline. Midfield runners like Andrés Iniesta would often make runs into the space between the winger and the centre-forward if required, but it would stretch play and help to avoid congestion as possession was retained. It also served to tired and frustrate opposition defences, few more than Jose Mourinhos Real Madrid.

However, in order to fully understand the so-called MVP trident, you cannot ignore the role of Dani Alves at right-back. More of a forward than a defender, the Brazilian would play a crucial role, effectively converting this three-man attack into a four-man attack on almost every occasion. It was almost inevitable that this would happen as Messi became an increasingly central figure as he matured and Guardiola began to give him more freedom, no longer restricted to the right flank. As Messi drifted centrally, he would take at least one, regularly more, defenders with him. That left space for the quick Alves to burst into the open space, as can be seen here against Arsenal. It comes as no surprise with this in mind that only Messi and midfield maestro Xavi registered more assists per 90 minutes than the 0.36 that Alves recorded in all competitions.

Alternatively, it would open up other options. The flexibility of Villa and Pedro meant that they could interchange with any of the front three positions at ease. This allowed Messi to drop into a deeper midfield role, acting as a false nine more than ever before. Rather than leaving the central area vacated, Alves would bomb forwards down the flank, effectively providing a three-man attack with Pedro covering the central area. As such, defences would be left trying to handle a three-man attack whilst keeping an eye on the arrival of Messi coming in from deep having dropped to play the pass which would start the move.