“The best way to win is to play well, and I always promise that my teams will play football well.” Setién arrived with that declaration of principles at Barça but, for the moment, has not complied. Barça has not been a brilliant team. On the contrary, it has bored, especially with its festival of a thousand mindless passes in the first three games (Granada, Ibiza and Valencia). Then, basically, he has dedicated himself to copy Valverde. He has also fulfilled one thing. He assured that there could be novelties in the drawing that did not last long. It took him a short time to return to the Valverde highway. Upon arrival, he tried with a 3-1-4-2 that crashed in less than a week, when he lost and could be thrashed in Valencia after being about to fall in Ibiza.
Setién changed quickly, to 4-3-3, with Ansu Fati, Griezmann and Messi in the lead. But the important parties arrived, away from home, and did what Valverde had done for two and a half years. Play with a 4-4-2, whether or not with rhombus, with all the sacred cows, including Arturo Vidal.
It is up to Setién to make a decision from here at the end of the season. However, and seeing his modus operandi in recent games, the road, if he does not give a blow again, seems marked and is to copy what Valverde had been doing. In home games, Setién will take advantage of the signing of Braithwaite to be ordered in a 4-3-3. In the lead, you can play with the Danish and Ansu in addition to Griezmann and Messi. It is possible that he even implemented it in the second round of Champions League match against Napoli. Outside the home, however, it seems difficult to think that with the lack of resources it has, it can escape 4-4-2. Less in Champions. Ansu has stopped having opportunities since he started in San Mamés. The arrival of Braithwaite and the arrival of weight games has left him without a place. Against Betis, Naples or Madrid away from home, 4-4-2 has been untouchable for Setién, who already drops off the record that he doesn't have the elements to implement what he wants. Although that may have much more to do with the way of life of the wardrobe. Nothing he did not know and was not able to administer Valverde, which last year stayed three games of the triplet and still was put in the trigger. You should also decide soon what path your team takes if you want your stay in Barcelona to be extended next season.