The premiere of Xavi, despite the tight victory against Espanyol, left many positive notes and during a good part of the game it was possible to appreciate the style that the new coach wants to implement at Barça. The Barça team dominated the possession, pressed near the opposite area, domino the party, the interiors they had a lot arrival and the extremes they opened the field. The team was able to reflect on the grass the proposal of the technician, who also introduced novelties even in the heating of the holders and of the substitutes.
Despite the fact that more than half the starting team had had international matches and Xavi He was only able to work two days with the entire staff, the hand of the coach in the first game and there were many changes with respect to Barça de Koeman.
Tactical changes
The bet for him 4-3-3 it was clear, with two extremes reference, especially on the right, the defending very advanced, the lines they were always together and pressed way up, near the area of Diego Lopez. Barça knew how to transfer the concepts that Xavi He had insisted so much during the week and despite the fact that the players had barely had time to work with the new coach, it was clear that they have quickly internalized Xavi’s message and philosophy.
Arrival of the interiors
One of the aspects that most attracted attention was the arrival in the area of the two interiors. So much Nico What Frenkie de Jong They were very active and had a leading role coming from the second line.
The changes not only came during the 90 minutes, but could also be seen before and after the game. With Xavi now it is mandatory that all alternates Also go out to warm up before the game, something that did not happen now, since only some players did it voluntarily. And the ten Headlines (except the goalkeeper) carry out a game simulation, in which the four defenders and the midfielder defend and the two interiors and the three wingers attack, all located in the same position that they will occupy later. The starters’ warm-up included more ball and those who did not play stayed to train on the grass after the game.
Aspects to improve
“I’m happy, but there are many things to improve,” he admitted. Xavi after the game. And he explained that the suffering of the final stretch of the game was due not to a physical issue, but to not knowing how to interpret the game. This was explained by the technician himself at a press conference. That lack of control and the lack of a goal was the worst of Xavi’s Barça debut.
The Barça of Xavi He scored in the first 60-70 minutes of the game. For just over an hour the team played the football that their coach expected, but they missed a goal. Dominance resulted in much arrival to the visiting area, many actions on the wings and various scoring chances, but almost none were very clear. With so many casualties in the lead, the team accused the absence of a pure nine, who knows how to specify the dominance of the team and is also capable of playing with his back to offer alternatives to his teammates.
And the other big problem was the lack of control in the last 20 minutes. Vicente Moreno changed the approach and Xavi accused the decompensation of the staff. Coutinho and Riqui They did not know how to control the center of the field and the ball passed to Espanyol in that stretch of the match, which led to clear goals from the Blue and Whites on several occasions, especially the header from In the eyes and RDT.
Defensive weakness
In that stretch of the game it was difficult for Barça to defend, especially on the right flank, in which Mingueza suffered excessively