The Attacking Thang

Okay, here we are into mid-April and Barça are floundering. They continue to be problematic in defense, possess an offense that has been riddled with injuries all season, have had a dressing room rumored to be rife with discord, and, now, seem a club seriously lacking in confidence. And to be honest, if a club like Barcelona can't grind out a win against a club like Recreativo Huelvo, well, they should be questioning themselves. There's a lot of meat here to chew on as to what the hell has gone wrong with the Blaugrana, but after some thought and some more listening I'm beginning to think it's Barcelona's philosophy of play. Truly.

This sort of flies in the face of my earlier opinions on the issue of game philosophy, since I've been an advocate for attacking fútbol. On the other hand, I've also been one for recognizing that theory and practice often have some fuzzy merging point that is dynamic at best, and downright frustrating at worst. One thing is certain with Barcelona: they need some philosophical and personnel changes.

4-3-3 is a part of the problem, but it's not the problem per se. That Thierry Henry isn't tracking back enough (like Ronaldinho before him) is not necessarily the Problem, but it is certainly part of the problem. I'm thinking the crux lies with the blind adherence to the attack at all costs. For reasons better explained by others, Barça are obsessed with the attack. The 'beautiful game' is assumed to be part and parcel to this idea of the incessant offensive, sort of like WWII Germany's tactical preoccupation with Der Blitzkrieg, even if it meant losing the military campaign. If it's not pretty attacking fútbol, then it's not worth watching, is kind of the position held at FC Barcelona. To hear how the cules in the Catalan city have wailed on about the waning fortunes of their club, one might feel the club officials at Barcelona may actually have no choice as to their position on the team's form of play. Either that, or lose their office right quick. However, I'm not interested in club politics, I just want to understand why Barça suck at the moment. And have for a couple years now. If we take this route, the obsession with attack, toward explaining why the Blaugrana are in seeming decline, then all the things that have been unfolding might start to fall in place more.

Let's go back to the 4-3-3 formation employed by Rijkaard. Now, we can't look at this formation in isolation, we have to see it in relation to what's out there in the field. These days it's all about controlling the middle third, maintaining a compressed defense, and employing the counterattack out of defense. Today's formations actually dictate this trend with 4-5-1 and 3-6-1 being considered conservative, 3-5-2 and 4-4-2 as ambitious, and 4-3-3 as downright gung-ho. The way some clubs play 4-3-3 is with the long ball, bypassing a relatively depleted midfield right through to their attacking line. It's still a lot of work for the midfielders, but at least with the long ball there's more time to track back should possession be lost.

Another club that's been using 4-3-3 is Manchester United. These guys play in a league that is historically thrifty about time, trying to play three matches in one just because, well, they can. Okay, Premiership jokes aside, no one can deny that the English league is one of the top flight fútbol leagues in the world. Man U have been hot this season too, which makes their choice of formation all the more interesting. So, how do they do it? With a lot of running, is how. A whole lot. From what I've seen of Man U nobody lounges, everybody is expected to defend. With as quick as the English game is, this is nothing to laugh about. I'm not a regular observer of English football, but from what I have seen of Manchester United doesn't so much shine defensively as it does offensively. As well it should. A formation like 4-3-3 will always give the opposition chances to score, but that might not matter if the attack can be maintained for the majority of the time, and goals follow suit. The key to my mind is a high level of activity, and I think Man U are a case in point.

With clubs that have midfield heavy formations, the ability to shift with the flow of play is easier, since the majority of the field players are situated in the middle portion of the pitch. The other advantage of formations like 3-5-2 or 4-5-1 is that they simplify the task of concentrating in defense. 4-3-3 is a formation that sacrifices that 'predisposition' for concentration by spreading out the squad almost evenly throughout the entire length of the pitch. Hence, all players in a 4-3-3 formation must be prepared to track back when transitioning from attack to defense.

The one real reason why 4-3-3 would be employed is because of it's advantages for attack. No surprises there. Not just the counterattack, but sustained pressure upon the opposition's defending third. For a club like Barcelona 4-3-3 is a natural choice given their affinity for short passing and ball possession. The trick is in quickly responding to transitions from attack to defense. Given that in today's game defensive prone formations that counterattack to score are the norm, Barça absolutely must be prepared to track back to a man. This is where the Catalan club run into problems.

Let's look at Barcelona's senior squad, at least what would've been their first selection at the beginning of this season. Front line was Ronaldinho, Henry/Eto'o, and Messi. Midfield would've been Deco/Toure, Xavi, and Iniesta. And, the back line, Abidal, Puyol, Marquez, and Zambrotta. Looking at these players the two most suspect would be Ronaldinho and Zambrotta, to my mind. Let's just face it, Ronnie couldn't track back to save his life, much less offer a decent challenge. Zambrotta is from a slower game (calcio), so while he's good, he's not quite adjusted to the relatively quicker tempo of the Spanish game. Other players who have since shown a lack of overall activity as the season has progressed are Henry, Deco, and even Abidal. With morale so low in the Blaugrana dressing room, one could even say the entire side have taken to a more static approach to their gameplay--which is suicide with a 4-3-3 formation.

Barça's scoring prowess is also down, but I think that's due more to a transition in progress, as well as an unusual spate of injuries. If next season we see a front line that has Giovani, Bojan, Messi and Eto'o, then this season of weaning the two kids will have been well spent.

But to get back to the crux of this piece, with a formation like 4-3-3, and a style of play that emphasizes possession and steady attack, Barcelona absolutely must be prepared to rapidly retreat into defense. Not only that, they have to be able to insure they are compact in defense as well. For a side that prefers to spend its time in the attack among teams that live and die by the 'fast break', serious thought needs to be spent in rapid defense. The front line will be the most active of all, since their numbers will be necessary in support of defense, and that will require traversing the entire length of the pitch. Midfield will have it relatively easier than the frontline, since their movement will be from the middle of the pitch, requiring less overall running.

Players like Ronaldinho and Henry cannot play full bore the entire length of the pitch. Ronaldinho just doesn't do that, and Henry is too old now. But, a front line with Giovani, Bojan, Messi, and Eto'o can, so next season should prove more promising. For now, I think it best to just close the books on this season, and jot it down as a learning experience.