After the hard blows of the last week against Inter and Madrid, Barça continues this tough part of the championship by hosting one of the highest level teams in the League: Villareal. A party that, after everything that has happened, has acquired a capital importance. Here are my 5 tactical keys for this match:
When a team is in a non-positive dynamic, it is hygienic and necessary to shake up the team with the entry of less usual players. In the current situation of the team, it is very likely that Xavi will decide to use this factor tonight. Even more so if you take into account that the entry of Ansu, Ferran and Gavi revitalized the team at the Bernabeu. At least one of the first two will start up front and the last one seems to be fixed in midfield. Oxygenating the team from a mental and football point of view is essential to break the dynamics of results and, tonight, Barça needs it.
One of the things that penalized the most against Madrid was the team's inability to finish actions in the last third of the pitch. Because although it is true that the azulgranas lacked speed and aggressiveness in their positional attacks, almost nothing was lavished in the medium distance shot. Barça finished the game with only three clean shots from outside the area, although the game was played 33% in the last third. It is an aspect in which the team does not lavish too much and that has to be used as of today.
One of the things Villareal do the most damage to their opponents with is connecting with the opposing wide midfielder when the game is turned. And this will be an aspect that Barça will have to avoid so that Emery's team does not have continuity with the ball. That is why it will be important for Barça's midfielders and forwards to press, always keeping in mind to cover up that passing line with Villareal's farthest midfielder, who is the one who normally breaks the pressure of all opponents.
It is an ideal match for the two interiors to be very protagonists and mark the team's game a lot. In this sense, they will have to position themselves well to be receivers of the passes of the free men who, against Villareal's 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, will be the two full-backs, the pivot or both. The rest of the team has to make it one of their missions to find them since, in general, the current version of the team lacks more of their presence.
Villareal has several well-known quality players (Parejo, Pau Torres, Morales...). Among those not too well known, two proper names stand out: Alex Baena, Jackson and Danjuma, three outstanding figures at this start of the League. The former Girona player has already become an important player in just two months. Unlike what he was used to, he starts from one of the wings (usually the left), but he goes deep inside and steps on the area. He is also watching the goal. With three goals he is the top groguet scorer in the league. At the point of attack, two players to take into account. On the one hand Danjuma, a powerful and complete attacker who already surprised positively in the last League and Nicolas Jackson, a 21-year-old also from the Villareal academy with very interesting characteristics. He is fast, intuitive and a quality dribbler. One goal and two assists in the 604 minutes played in the championship. The fact of having played on Monday will mean that some of them will not start from the beginning but they will surely participate. Attention to all of them.
