Once the transfer market has closed, Barça will face the last match before the national team break. Opposite, an Osasuna that has just fallen in the Conference League but that, due to its way of playing, will surely demand the best version of the Blaugranas. Here are my 5 tactical keys for this match:
After serving his suspension, Raphinha will now be available for Xavi. But in the two games of his absence, the emergence of his replacement (Lamine Yamal) has been so brutal that the dilemma for the position leaves hardly any doubts. The youth player has been key and has shown two things to the world: that he is prepared to be important from now on and that, today, he is the best attacker that Barça has. At the football level there is no debate. Only his age can condition Xavi to determine a new ownership. Leaving him out of the eleven would be protecting him and demanding two steps forward from Raphinha.
Osasuna jumps to all pressure when the rival enters the middle zone. In addition, through warm tilting movements, it causes the opponent to play on the wing to change speed and press very aggressively. In Barça's structure, this will mean that they will wait for the ball to go to the side to try to corner the Catalans. And this is where they will have to have a very clear pass to overcome the pressure. One of the best aids that they can have is the unchecking break from the inside of the side to overcome this maneuver. And it is that both interiors are going to have clear entrance areas.
Both entered the call and, therefore, have options to participate. It will be hasty to see them start but I'm sure they will have minutes. And when this happens, it will be interesting to see what positions Xavi places them in and under what tactical premises. It is almost certain that we will see Cancelo as a right-back but it will be interesting to see if the Barca coach makes him play deep or as an internalized full-back. The Portuguese can do both. In the case of Joao Félix, it seems clear that the left corner of the square starting from the outside (false extreme), is the location that can best suit him. First contact to see the fit of the two.
Osasuna is a super vertical team. So much so that it is, by far, the team in the League that spends the least time in the midfield (only 36% of the game). And he plays at a very high pace and looks for deep passes to get up quickly. In some ways, it is a set that moves very well in controlled chaos. Which is why it is vital that Barça's defense is very attentive, very concentrated and very fast in the turns. Koundé and Balde are seen as vital due to their backward corrective capacity.
One of the best footballers of the Navarrese team is, without a doubt, Aimar Oroz. Very complete, with remarkable talent and a good reading of the game, he is a fixture in Arrasate's midfield. He also has an arrival and this season he has already seen the goal (against Valencia). Another player that Barça will have to be very attentive to is Moi Gómez. A footballer who does not need anything to take great shots on goal or hit centers with a great advantage for the finisher. He normally plays on the left wing. And if we aim for auctioneers, we must talk about Ante Budimir. Whether at the start or in the second half (Arrasate is sharing the point of attack between him and Raúl García), he is a piece that has a lot of danger of finishing off in the area. He hasn't scored yet in this League but he has scored in the Conference and he is the one who shoots the most from the Navarrese team. Pay attention to these three fronts.
