#5 Utilising different formations but retaining club philosophy
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Barcelona. 4-3-3. Goes together like hand in glove, right?
Well, not necessarily. Even if we look back over Tata Martino’s disappointing reign as coach of the club, Gerard Pique was one of the first players to come out and praise the way in which the Argentine had introduced a long-ball element to Barca’s game. “To escape the shackles” as Pique put it at the time.
Luis Enrique, during his tenure, has gone one better and introduced a variety of tactical formations but without losing that ingredient that’s always necessary for the Catalans to operate at their maximum – possession and control of the ball.
Of those utilised over the course of the current season particularly, none has been more successful than the switch to 3-4-3. It gave Barca back the control in midfield - an area where they had begun to struggle in games – and it was precisely that switch against Paris Saint-Germain which saw one of the greatest comebacks in football history.
It has shown whoever succeeds Enrique next season that there is another way of winning, whilst still remaining true to Barca’s ideals.
