After the great game that Barça played in Paris, Xavi's team has to focus on the League. They will play a very important match in Cádiz to have certain options to fight for the title. A match that, of course, will have its sights set on the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals next Tuesday in Montjuïc and the classic on April 21 at the Bernabéu, but which will present its difficulties. The rival, Cádiz, has a lot at stake. Here are my 5 tactical keys for tonight:
The proximity of the match to the return of the Champions League tie means that the great danger is to think about what is coming and not what is immediate. So the first of the keys goes through Xavi. Because his motivation and focus work so that the team focuses exclusively on the match will be decisive. There are three ways to achieve this: introducing several changes in the eleven, through pre-match motivation or a combination of the two. The latter is the best of all and the one that the Barça coach will surely look for. Bringing out a balanced eleven and managing the loads will be an important choice but, before doing so, we must avoid relaxation and cultivate a good collective mentality.
With the wear and tear on Wednesday and the accumulated casualties for today (Íñigo Martínez, Cancelo and Lewandowski), the Barça coach (also suspended) will have to make changes to the team. Christensen will enter at the back for sure and Fermín, Ferran and Vítor Roque in the offensive range. All three are highly dynamic profiles and the last two provide more verticality than associative play. On paper, they will have little room today to break lines, so they have to know how to find the moment. Especially Fermín entering from behind. But above all, they have to provide that extra point of energy in the pressure after losing the ball because it will be the moment in which Barça can recover on top. In a normal game situation, Cádiz will risk little a priori.
Faced with a closed 1-4-4-2 (without ruling out the defense of five) like the one expected from Pellegrino, it will be necessary to unbalance on the wings. And for this, small details will be very important, such as promoting the rapid circulation of the ball from side to side to encourage overflow, for outside attackers to be more daring than they have been in recent games, or for the team to combine passes to the inside. before opening the ball to the wing. Be that as it may, Barça's external imbalance will be essential to win the match.
Cádiz's tactical setup will make the free men the full-backs. A factor that will make them have a lot of weight in the game. And, in most cases, the center backs will have frontal pressure that will prevent them from entering the opposing field and dividing easily. So both the start of the game and the progression will depend a lot on both full-backs and the defensive midfielder. Cancelo's loss will mean that Héctor Fort will start tonight so his clarity and his great display have to be important for the Barça game.
Cádiz has acquired a dynamic of positive results. Especially as a local. Without a doubt, the two most dangerous players offensively and the two pieces that Barça will have to take the most into account are Robert Navarro and Juanmi. The first, with a Barça past, is a very talented and overflowing playmaker who, after having little continuity at Real Sociedad, is in the best moment of his career. He has become a fixture since the beginning of 2024 and has just scored his first goal against Granada. A goal that gave an important victory. In addition, he is the player who gives the most key passes for Cadiz. On the other hand, the same can be added about the more than well-known Juanmi. The skilled and fast forward arrived in the winter market and is doing very well right now. He has played seven games and has scored three goals already. His special ability to detect spaces and score goals are pure gold for the Cádiz team.
