On a sidenote:

I'm game for the fussball plan. Very flexible. Masche can drop any time and make it a 433.

Only problem I see is that Pique is way too slow for being the last man in the line.

dat scaffolding ffs

BarrileteCosmico wrote:I'm game for the fussball plan. Very flexible. Masche can drop any time and make it a 433.

Only problem I see is that Pique is way too slow for being the last man in the line.

I disagree. If anything, thats the best position for him.

Didnt you see Marquez and Ron Vlaar in this system?

The other 2 CB's are the ones who do the real work, pressing, covering, meanwhile Pique is basically safety net and only covers.

The Franchise wrote:

BarrileteCosmico wrote:I'm game for the fussball plan. Very flexible. Masche can drop any time and make it a 433.

Only problem I see is that Pique is way too slow for being the last man in the line.

I disagree. If anything, thats the best position for him.

Didnt you see Marquez and Ron Vlaar in this system?

The other 2 CB's are the ones who do the real work, pressing, covering, meanwhile Pique is basically safety net and only covers.

I agree, your slowest CB always goes in the middle. It also works at keeping him away from the Pacy wingers, as they'd have a field day if Pique was against them.

If he plans to play that system the links to Marquinhos make more sense.

He made his name at Roma in a 3 CB system and is extremely quick at covering ground.

While we are getting giddy about 3-4-3,lets not forget the elephant in the room that is Messi.
The Cruyff 3-4-3 is my favorite formation as its a very dynamic,fluid and flexible formation.I would love it if we play it the right way.
that is not possible with Messi in the team.he is way too static for a 3-4-3 formation.It didnt work back in pep's last season when pep tried it.Messi had started to become static then and pep had to abandon it.
It most certainly wont work now as Messi is too much of a liability for a normal formation,let alone a complex one like 3-4-3.
Just wont work.Remove the liability first and then we can talk.

if any of you have the time for a full match (the 5-0 manita against madrid)

you'll notice how shape in the back line

we played mostly 3-4-3 on paper with Pique on the right, Puyol (our slowest cb at the time) in middle, abidal at left.

---Bartra-----Pique-----Mathieu might work, and if rumors are true I see why we want cuadrado over alves now.

Some reports we will use two variations of these two line ups depending on the situation

----------Ter Stegen
-Alves--Pique--Mathieu--Alba
------------Busquets
-------Rakatic-----Iniesta
--------------Messi
----Suarez---------Neymar


or

---------Ter Stegen
-Alves-----Pique-----Mathieu
----Busquets--Mascherano
--Rakatic-------------Iniesta
-------------Messi
----Suarez---------Neymar

Am I the only one who thinks that Busquets would make an excellent Xavi replacement? He's got the vision and the passing skills, can control the tempo of the game and we got a great holding mid to go behind him in Masch.

He's not as good as prime Xavi obviously but his defensive qualities should make up for it. And Masch is still a beast DM, win/win. I just don't feel comfortable at all having Rakitic as the starting playmaker.

I've suggested him put in Xavi role a season and a half ago, but idk if he'll be able to handle it..
there isn't really a player like Xavi currently playing and i doubt there will be for a while, we're probably better off just tweaking the tactic to not rely on such a big role in the team.

did Rakitic undergo a name change ?

Rewatching that glorious 5-0, that wasnt 3 at the back donuts. Just look how much Abidal got forward in comparision to Puyol. Often Abidal was in the attacking third and middle third, Puyol barely crossed the half way line.

It was the same 4 man backline, just as always Dani Alves is very aggressive going forward.

It was a 3 man backline at times but that's the beauty of it. It was flexible enough with that player material to change formations in-game at all moments and make it a back 4 according to the situation. Villa played on the left on paper but his 3th goal for example came as a CF on the right channel off the shoulder of Pepe. In that 5-0 it turned into a 3 man backline mostly whenever Ronaldo changed sides to the RW.

The ball is on the right side of the pitch and in the opponants half, thats exactly where Alves is and will always be.

It was the same when the ball was on the left.

Its arguing over semantics really.

Pedro: "Playing as full back? I trained there a few times under Del Bosque. I feel more comfortable in attack, but it's up to the coach."

No.

Also, in response to that picture you've posted futbol, I wasn't aware we had signed Berbatov

https://i.servimg.com/u/f39/16/72/25/30/berbat10.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/1/23/1358949111963/Dimitar-Berbatov-008.jpg

Not sure where else to post this, but I am SO happy that we are actually having a pre-season rather than a commercial circuit. I'm not sure if it was the world cup, the executives or LE but this is the way it should be. The money we make from tours to asia and the US is peanuts compared to winning titles.

A proper preseason as well as it seems.

Rafinha: "We're working hard, both physically and tactically. English climate is perfect for pre-season, better than the heat in Barcelona."

Rafinha: "We're too tired to do a lot of things outside training. Just some billiards or ping-pong. Otherwise we rest." [fcb]

Some nice videos on the official FC Barcelona Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/fcbarcelona/videos

If you have some time to spare I'd recommend browsing through a few clips, although it's mostly warmup stuff that is shown.

Bit of a shame that none of the attacking trident is there yet.

Meanwhile Xavi keeps owning the training games.

Winners of the morning session:



Winners of the afternoon session:



DAT awkward moment when Xavi still starts every game next season.

We were practicing a 3-2-3-2 formation

that's why we are so desperate for marquinhos.. we need a cb that can play full back like mathieu.

that formation looks.. odd

essentially we are probably going to defend like this

--Bartra----Pique-----Masch----Mathieu
---------------Buscuit
--------Rakitic-----------Iniesta
----------------Messi
----Suarez--------------------Neymar

Donuts wrote:that's why we are so desperate for marquinhos.. we need a cb that can play full back like mathieu.

that formation looks.. odd

Yeah I said that before, everything is starting to make sense.

Also makes sense why the Cuadrado links continue to persist.

Winter is Coming wrote:We were practicing a 3-2-3-2 formation

Dat lack of width

Personally dont see it working against park the bus teams almost everyone

Messi at the top of a defensive triangle, closing down midfielders. That's... optimistic?

^ Cuadrado/Alves instead of Rakitic and that lineup is probably spot on. Although not exactly in that shape. Iniesta in midfield and Nerman on the wing for sure. Basically what I posted a few days ago.



^ In this lineup Cuadrado makes a lot of sense where Alves is playing.