I would take Xavi off at the break and put in Pedro.

We don't need subs yet, but at the 60th minute, at least, rest Xavi and maybe Puyol or Messi, but it'll probably be Villa who comes off.

I see Adriano's on for Abidieu.

Interesting team tonight for Guardiola. Some ridiculously brilliant play, but Osasuna also gave up pretty early... shame.

More Stats in this Link: https://goallegacy.forumotion.com/t6061-barca-stats-2011-2012
===================
`La Liga (Week #3)

Barcelona 8 - 0 Osasuna

>>> STATS & Info:

`Goals/Assists:
- (1-0) Messi
5′ (assist by Alves)
- (2-0) Fabregas
13′ (assist by Messi)
- (3-0) Villa
34′ (assist by Abidal)
- (4-0) Roversio
40' (Own goal)
- (5-0) Messi
41′ (assist by Fabregas)
- (6-0) Xavi
57′ (assist by Messi)
- (7-0) Villa
76′ (assist by Fabregas)
- (8-0) Messi
79′ (assist by Fabregas)

~Line-ups:

FC Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Mascherano, Puyol, Abidal, Sergio, Xavi, Thiago, Fàbregas, Messi, and Villa

Osasuna: A. Fernandez, Raitala, Ruben, Roversio, M. Bertran, Lolo, Lamah, R. Garcia, Puñal, Damià, and Nino

~Bench:

FC Barcelona: Pinto, Adriano, Fontàs, Maxwell, Keita, Afellay, and Pedro

Osasuna: Ricardo, Flaño, Cejudo, Calleja, Ibrahima, K. Sola, and Timor

~Substitutions:
FC Barcelona: Adriano on for Abidal (46′), Maxwell on for Puyol (55′), Afellay on for Xavi (61′)

Osasuna: Cejudo on for Raitala (46′), Ibrahima on for Garcia (63′), Timor on for Puñal (77′)

-----------------------------------------------

>> Match Stats<<

~Team Stats

Barcelona vs Osasuna
17 (Total Shots) 4
14 (Shots on Target) 1
92% (Pass Accuracy) 65%
67% (Aerials Won) 33%
7 (Offsides) 1
8 (Fouls) 15
8 (Corners) 3
27 (Throwins) 13
18 (Dribbles Won) 3
7 (Tackles Won) 9
82% (Ball Possession)18%


~Players Stats~


` Yellow Cards:
- David Villa: 1

` Chances Created:
Dani Alves: 4
Lionel Messi: 4
Fabregas: 4
Abidal: 2
Xavi: 1
Sergio: 1

` Passes (Passing %):

1- Fabregas 108 (91%)
2- Thiago 102 (94%)
3- Xavi 101 (99% !!!)
4- Sergio Busquets 89 (98%)
5- Lionel Messi 81 (88%)
6- Dani Alves 78 (91 %)
7- Mascherano 64 (92%)
8- Abidal 51 (94 %)
9- Puyol 38 (97%)
10- Adriano 31 (97%)
11- David Villa 29 (76%)
12- Afellay 27 (85 %)
13- Valdés 24 (75 %)
14- Maxwell 21 (76 %)

`Match Report (fcbarcelona.com)
http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/futbol/temporada_11-12/arxiu_partits/lliga/jornada04/Barcelona_Osasuna/partit.html

------------------------------

`The Goals: Barcelona vs Osasuna



-----------------------------
` Download Full Match:

http://www.fullmatches.net/barcelona-vs-osasuna-la-liga-17-sep-2011-full-match-dawnload/

Great info Khaled.

Alves was amazing last night. Xavi, Messi and Fab as well. Some wonderful goals.

The only negative was when Puyol came off for Maxwell, Busquets played CB and our defence looked bad. Again, this confirms our scepticism about Busquets at CB! I think half the problem is also that if he's at CB he's not at CDM where he cuts out a lot of those plays anyway. Should have brought on Fontas for Puyol instead. We were 6-0 up FFS!

This game was probably the best show the team ever gave. I'm trying to find an english HD version to download but no luck so far. All the sites I know have either the spanish hd version or the low quality english one. Anyone happens to know where I could find what I'm looking for?

Khaledbarca wrote:
` Download Full Match:
http://www.fullmatches.net/barcelona-vs-osasuna-la-liga-17-sep-2011-full-match-dawnload/

Did u try this?

Great game. However, it's bad news that Pep is trying to play a 343 so often. 343 it's a dead system IMO. I hope that in important moments, we stick to our 433. We already lost a league because 343.

Khaledbarca wrote:

Khaledbarca wrote:
` Download Full Match:
http://www.fullmatches.net/barcelona-vs-osasuna-la-liga-17-sep-2011-full-match-dawnload/

Did u try this?

Ok I'm an idiot, don't know how I missed that! Yes, the ESPN version is perfect, thank you so much!

free_cat wrote:Great game. However, it's bad news that Pep is trying to play a 343 so often. 343 it's a dead system IMO. I hope that in important moments, we stick to our 433. We already lost a league because 343.

So long as he only uses it against 442s and 4411s it should be fine

Tbh, I don't think you could label the system he played. There was a lot of interchange and flexibility that it definitely didn't look like a straight 3-4-3 to me. Dani Alves was still playing his normal right boss role. etc etc.

The team was generally positioned something like this when on the ball.

[img][/img]

TBH I dont think it was a proper 3-4-3.
I tried hard to pin down the formation but after a while I gave up.It was just too fluid.
All I know is that there was a diamond in the middle of the park with Cesc and Messi alternating at the tip of the diamond.Villa was on the left.
Technically there was no right forward although Alves was right forward most of the match.
I thin what we are seeing now is a modern version of Total Football.Not as fluid as the Ajax version but mores suited to the modern game.
If I may do a player comparison,imo the 3 most important players for Ajax were Cruyff,Blankenburg and Neeskens.Since I am trying to compare with Holland too will also add the brilliant Willem Van Hannegam(considered the brains of the team).
So comparing the 2 teams(3 if you include Holland since Van Hennegam played for Feyenoord)
We have Messi playing the Cruyff role.
We have Xavi playing the Van Hannegem role(that of the cerebral playmaker).
We have Iniesta playing the Neeskens role(that of the dynamic miidfielder).
And we have Busquets playing the Blankenburg role.
And except the false nine role(where Cruyff is still better than Messi) in all the other comparisons the Barca players are better.
Ofcourse there were other players too but these were imo the most important players for Ajax and Holland playing the crucial positions.

I just watched the game again, if I had to label the formation I'd say it was a 3-1-6-0 if that makes any sense. Defenders and Sergio were keeping formation. Up front it was completely fluid though, especially in the center of the pitch.

First off there was no real CF but that's not new. Alves was generally on the right and Villa on the left. Thiago was generally on the mid-right, sometimes cutting diagonally to the left towards the box. Xavi was all over the place, going wherever needed to provide options, spreading really wide on the left quite often, playing on the line sometimes.

Cesc and Messi were literally everywhere. Right, left, center, dropping too deep or pushing too high, you couldn't really tell if there was a plan to their movement. Quite often one or both of them would drop deep enough to Sergio's level and take the ball from there to start a run, other times they'd both surge forward interacting with each other. Most often however one of them would hang outside the box dragging defenders out while the other one would surge into the box interacting with Alves usually.

It's a game to be studied for sure.

Guys, formations are just a simplification of reality. Usually, when we say we play 433 (standard formation), it isn't also quite a 433, as Alves is a defender-forward, Iniesta is a CM who many times is on the left wing or AM, Messi is a false 9, etc.

But what we played this saturday was a clear 343 in attack, with Busquets dropping in the back 4 and making it a 433 when we lost the ball (5 times in all the game).

alexjanosik wrote:TBH I dont think it was a proper 3-4-3.
I tried hard to pin down the formation but after a while I gave up.It was just too fluid.
All I know is that there was a diamond in the middle of the park with Cesc and Messi alternating at the tip of the diamond.Villa was on the left.
Technically there was no right forward although Alves was right forward most of the match.
I thin what we are seeing now is a modern version of Total Football.Not as fluid as the Ajax version but mores suited to the modern game.
If I may do a player comparison,imo the 3 most important players for Ajax were Cruyff,Blankenburg and Neeskens.Since I am trying to compare with Holland too will also add the brilliant Willem Van Hannegam(considered the brains of the team).
So comparing the 2 teams(3 if you include Holland since Van Hennegam played for Feyenoord)
We have Messi playing the Cruyff role.
We have Xavi playing the Van Hannegem role(that of the cerebral playmaker).
We have Iniesta playing the Neeskens role(that of the dynamic miidfielder).
And we have Busquets playing the Blankenburg role.
And except the false nine role(where Cruyff is still better than Messi) in all the other comparisons the Barca players are better.
Ofcourse there were other players too but these were imo the most important players for Ajax and Holland playing the crucial positions.

Excellent post alex. Great read.

Osasuna 0 - 0 Sevilla