5 tactical tweaks that will make Barcelona invincible next season

2. Move on from the Busquets-destroyer role

Sergio Busquets was arguably the disappointment of the season for Barcelona as the Catalan simply couldn’t get the kind of grip on the game that made him one of the best midfielders in the world. A large part of this, of course, was due to his dip in form (something that’s understandable given how he’s been at the top of the game for so very long) but another, more worrying reason (for Barca), seems to be that opponents have figured him out.

Whilst earlier they were lulled into thinking that Busquets was hardly any danger on the ball, they’ve now realised that closing him down with increased ferocity nips many a Barcelona attack in the bud – while Busquets has a vast array of skills, a varied passing range is not one of them and this has left La Blaugrana handicapped at times in midfield.

As radical as this sounds, may be it is time then that the Catalans moved on from the 28-year-old mainstay of their tiki-taka heyday and evolved by employing a Xabi Alonso-esque playmaker in that role... someone who has the ability to create as well as destroy. A player that seems ready made for this role is Marco Verratti, or even his PSG teammate Adrien Rabiot. With the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta/some kind of replacement for Iniesta on either side of said deep-lying playmaker Barca could make that ever subtle shift in strategy that could unsettle opponents who otherwise know exactly what’s coming at them.