Barça will close the 2022/2023 season in one of the most historic fields in the League, the Balaídos Stadium. And on the pitch there will be two totally opposite realities. The champion will face a needy team that, almost without imagining it, is in the middle of the fight to avoid the Second Division. Here my five tactical keys for this meeting:
Despite the fact that Barça has been champion for two weeks and that the team closes the championship as a visitor, this Sunday's game is the last in the League and it is important to finish well. In football, the result is, of course, the most important thing, but the sensations are also important. And the season claims to finish the course well. For the team itself as well as for the competition, it is necessary for the Barça team to show a great version. It is more transcendental than we imagine.
Ansu Fati is one of the proper names of the week. Because of his two goals against Mallorca and because his future is not clear. Most likely, against Celta he will once again be a starter on the left side of the attack. And it will be a significant game for him. Giving continuity to his good performance will allow Ansu to have more weight in sporting decisions for next season. In addition, Balaídos is a field that is good at it.
Another of the motivations of the duel has to be to help Ter Stegen to overcome the record of clean sheets. These types of records always have to be secondary in a collective game but, once the main challenge with the League title has been achieved, they must serve as an incentive to get close to maximum performance. In addition, what has probably been the most decisive footballer in this League deserves the team to push him towards this personal record.
Celta's situation (only a victory ensures their permanence) forces them to be very active with the ball and to look for Ter Stegen's goal. If his way of playing is already offensive, against Barça it will be even more so. So Celta will deploy and constantly advance lines. Or what is the same, there will be spaces to deepen. The two bands will be especially conducive as an entry area (attacking full-backs) but facilities may also appear in the central zone (Aidoo's loss greatly conditions the rival). Barça have to be intelligent and observant with the ball to see which of the defenders is more off the hook and is out of line with respect to the line. There you have to attack. There you have to be aggressive both in unchecking and in determination.
It is obligatory to talk about Gabri Veiga. Without a doubt, one of the names of the League. A high-quality midfielder, with inside overflow and high incidence in the last part of the field. At just 21 years old and coming from the subsidiary, he has become a starter and a fixture in the team. In fact, he is the sixth player with the most minutes on the sky blue team. Acting as a pure midfielder in Carlos Carvalhal's 4-3-3, he signed 9 goals and four assists. Behind Iago Aspas, he is the second player who shoots the most in the squad (1.7 per game) and, behind Iago himself and Javi Galán, the third player who gives the most key passes. Also highlight Carles Pérez. The ex-azulgrana is a fast winger, super powerful and one of the most dangerous pieces of this Celta. Three goals, four assists and 1.2 successful dribbles per game, he will clearly be a piece to have very controlled.
