A special match that will take place this Sunday at the Camp Nou. Barça receives Ernesto Valverde's Athletic in what will be the return of the former Barça manager to the Barcelona stadium. That said, Xavi's team is worth nothing other than the victory against one of the teams that is leaving the best sensations in this first part of the season. Here my 5 tactical keys:
Xavi already announced rotations in the press conference after the Villareal game but the remarkable staging of the team in that last game will probably mean that there will not be many changes to be seen either. Yes, it will be especially significant, and I think positive, that after his great game the coach gave Frenkie de Jong continuity in the pivot position. The Dutchman was sensational both with and without the ball, and the pace of the team picked up. From here Dembélé and/or Raphinha can appear. And, although it is not likely, the presence of Franck Kessié from the start would not be ruled out.
Athletic presses up and advances lines with daring. With an average of 31% of the playing time in the last third of the field, they are, just behind Barça, the second team that spends the most time in this area. Reason why there are many spaces behind the defensive line, and central defenders are vulnerable in vertical breaks towards the goal. Atlético or Getafe created a lot of danger for him like that.
For Barça it will be absolutely essential to calm down the game during various stages of the match, since Athletic is one of the teams with the fastest pace of play in the entire championship. In addition, the fact of arriving more rested (Valverde's men played on Tuesday and Barça on Thursday) can make the physical tone between both teams different. For all these reasons, the Barça team is only interested in revolutionizing the game in small doses and not permanently. If the game ends up breaking, the forces will be equal and Athletic will benefit. It is Barça's task that this does not happen by reading the match times well.
Check here the classification of the Santander League.
One of the big keys to the game is how Barça manages the defensive spaces and, in particular, how they control the transitions of the Williams brothers, two players who arrive in splendid form. Especially Nico Williams, who is, without a doubt, one of the names of this first stage of the championship. Both are very fast and very powerful, but the young Nico, in addition, adds skill for dribbling. Between the two they add seven goals and four assists in the 19 total goals of the Basque team. In other words, they have participated directly in 58% of the goals. It won't be easy to stop them but it's all about having precise defensive vigilance, very fast defensive withdrawals and anticipating defensive plays.
Sancet is a player's delight. He is a very complete attacking midfielder. He has quality and very good movements. In addition, he reaches the area very well from behind and resolves with first contact or with a header. He has already accumulated three goals in this first third of the League. Without the ball, he goes in tune with the block. He squeezes hard and recovers. On the other hand, watch out for Álex Berenguer's band, a player who has been non-negotiable for Valverde since his arrival. Dynamic, skillful, with a good run and a good center, he will be another piece of danger. Barça's global gear should be fine because there will be several players with the ability to generate things from recoveries or through spaces. Three goals, one goal assist and the fact that he is Athletic's third most used outfield player prove it.
