How Barcelona are building a midfield dynasty (again)
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- It’s a new era at Barcelona, and the expectation is exceptionally high. Like the legendary teams of old, can this new crop of players go on to make history? Are we witnessing the start of a new dynasty?
In this in-depth analysis, I take a forensic look at the structure of Barcelona’s new midfield, the roles that exist in Xavi’s system, and how these players are beginning to find balance.
I hope you enjoy!
Follow me on Twitter - / thepurist_
Sections:
0:00 intro
1:41 Introducing XaviBall
4:27 OneFootball
5:09 The Pivot
7:38 The Controller
9:25 The Inside Forward
11:55 The Right Interior
15:33 On movement
16:28 Solving the puzzle
20:59 One big problem
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Another advantage of Pedri as right interior is that he also serves as a balance to Dembele, when we have Gavi there it feels more chaotic, but when he has Pedri near it gives more control to that right side, more pausa, and less turnovers.
yep pedri really calms dembele and makes him think twice about taking on 2 players , which i really like
Gotta say youre very spot on. Pedri on the right gives dembele much more freedom and flexibility to try out more stuff. I didn't notice it until you mentioned it. Pedri unleashes dembele's true potential.
Very good point never looked at it that way but yeah good point.
Well, also since Pedri is such a good passer and he is able to place really good crosses, and he is also able to dribble and progress with the ball through inside the box, that sometimes can make a center defense or the fullback to hesite and go down to pressure him in order to not give any space, but at the same time create more space on the defese back for Dembélé to exploit with a pass from Pedri or even Koundé, this was precisely seen at the Barca v Real Sociedad Copa del Rey game
Pedri is the guy we didn’t deserve but needed.
f*** batman
@@andrewlustrinelli8225 Wait what?
@@andrewlustrinelli8225 f*** spiderman
@@araujo3498 f*** gaylords
@@araujo3498 👌
As a consistent watcher of this team for over 20+ years.. I have to say that watching this team has me excited again. I go into every game now with calmness believing we will win. Such a massive turnaround from the Koeman years when every game was a toss up.
Also I think its amazing that Busquets was the youngster in the previous dynasty and now he's the man ushering the new generation. 15 years in the starting lineup, no major injuries, always there controlling the midfield in good times and bad. One of the clubs best ever servants imo.
I agree completely!!!
I agree man but watching Arteta's Arsenal kinda gives me shame lol. They are so much better than Xavi's Barca... it's crazy
@@uripatootie7064 I wouldn’t say much better, but they are definitely a more cohesive unit and a better team, but Barca is individually better in every position, barring CDM, LB(maybe).Also, we can’t ignore the fact that Arteta has been managing Arsenal for more than three years.
@@royaluchennalevi6224 yea true, but that's what I mean, Barca has the better players but performs worse. If you watch the second half of Arsenal vs Man United... it felt like Arsenal could just will a goal into existence. I hope Xavi gets the team to that level though
@@uripatootie7064 Yh but we’ve got to give Xavi more time, I know arteta had worse players but it took him a while to fully implement his playing style, and xavi struggled due to the poor inheritance after lucho’s departure, with valverde, setien and koeman all failing to implement Barca style football
With one of the greatest midfielders as a coach of all time, the future looks so promising for this midfield.
The greatest in my opinion
The greatest midfielders
**With one of the greatest midfielders of all time as coach.
in Europa. LOL
@@pmman4232 Go find any video on how Real Madrid plays and try to tell which legacy they ever left to Football. I'm curious.
I cant explain how much, as a diehard Barcelona and in general Football fan, I love these videos. They represent what Football discussions and knowledge should be all about. Keep up the good work and expect me in further videos down here :)
I’m really glad you’re enjoying :) Thanks for the kind words
Agree wholeheartedly ❤️
@@thepurist_ How does the video disregard Franck Kessie as a potential replacement for Busquets? He's stepping up recently, but he's a great presence in midfield and could easily fill that transitional role that Busquets plays. Because, another thing I feel is missing from this video, yes, busquets has historically been the solid legend as portrayed here, but this season has been his weakest of quite a few recently weak seasons. His decline in form and focus has cost the team a lot of possession, and we have been succeeding IN SPITE of his failures. So while, in theory, the video is all true and it is a great video, the coming loss of Busquets might be a BOOST for this system. Because, getting another pivotal transitional midfielder in his place will make this system much, much stronger. I can't help but feel that Xavi simply couldn't disrespect his old friend by relegating him to the bench, even though that's where he's deserved to mostly be for the past couple seasons.
So, great video. But I feel those are a few big holes that need to have been addressed!
I love how you used chaos for Gavi. It's funny yet so fitting. The dude is mental. With that tongue in cheek innocent face. He's so intense. Every game is a fight for his family's honour. Love it though because we need one Spartan in the team.
Pedri is basically Don Andres 2.0 with Xavi's ball control. The close control he has is beautiful. He builds, he creates, he scores. A mixture of midfielder and forward. I would even say he has that Messi-esque thing. Just 1% maybe but mere mortals with 1% of Messi is already something else. Hence Mastermind.
De Jong finally found his position in our colours. He is a mixture of a CM and CDM, leaning a bit more to the latter. And with another CDM, our midfield is complete.
We have all the needed qualities for a world class midfield. Is it a surprise our midfield got 3x better with one of the GOATs of midfield as the coach? It's not coincidence if you ask me.
But honestly, we have a great starting eleven now. Balde is crucial to our right flank. Araujo and Christensen are solid and New Hair MATS? Ze Wall ov Berlin is back! And Kounde is just as good for defense and attack.
Dembele is still Dembele. When he has a good game, it's almost magic. Unfortunately he's still a little bit inconsistent. Hopefully I'll be wrong about that.
Lewandowski. That's it. You know the name.
Now imagine if Raphina, Kessie, Eric Garcia finds their best form. We would be one of Europe's best.
Visca Barça. Afters years of crippling depression watching us play, we're slowly climbing back up. One little step at a time.
Leo....come on. Come back and have one last dance. I wanna see you drunk surrounded by these young kids and your teammates. Imagine the grand party if he does come back. A man can dream.
nice comment bro
Agreed! A man can dream🥹
Goated comment bro😭
Great said! Now, Balde is crucial on the left side*, and tbh I don't see us having much out of Kessie (but I hope I'm wrong with that) all I hope is that the attack becomes more deadly and we def have a future as an elite team again with these youngsters. I can't wait to see Pedri and Gavi at around 25 years of age if they keep progressing their talent and game iq
That‘s poetry right here. Beautiful
There’s no way this video was 24 minutes… felt like 4. 😩
This set up seems very competitive, n I’m looking forward to seeing the players nestle in. Great times ahead!
We as fans really have seen 2 best mid field combos.
Xavi , Iniesta, busquets.
Kroos,Modric , casemiro
In both most football fans think busquets and casemiro were either carried or were the weakest link and now we see them leaving or going to leave very soon and realise what they were providing was so vital to make these trio to function and one of the hardest to replace.
That's somewhat a Beauty of this CDM position that might be the least glamorous but one of the most vital and hardest shoes to fill.
When they both leave their respective clubs they will be among the least celebrated but also the most missed player's of our generation.
bro at least spell his name right. Toni Kroos.
@@youbetu18 camavingha in Madrid is one to watch
@@omalone1169 Camavinga is Overrated 😆😆
@@omalone1169 camavinga isn't a cdm he is more like de jong
@@agssilv5919 he is Shuttler.
Now that busquets i almost done, we are starting to realize his importance in modern Barcelona's era. There's no replacement of Busi...
Hopefully Nico comes back from loan and steps up
Zubimendi is a good replacement for busi from real sociodad
I agree that there's no replacing Busi but his successor is out there & Rodri is currently the best option. De Jong, whilst he's a great player, his natural game unlike Rodri, is too dissimilar to Busi's. I'd also love for Nico to not let Gavi & Pedri leave him behind & prove everyone wrong. The same way I hoped Samper would & tbh, a part of me still does 😂
@@john-adriancoker2789 well I think rodri is nowhere close to busquets. Zubimendi is the only guy who looks to be a good replacement for busi. We should go for him
@@football_ix_lovee Rodri is one of the best 6s in the world, and is very similar in profile to Busquets. Guardiola knows his DM pivots, believe me. Having said that, I seriously doubt City would be willing to sell him; Rodri is currently their most important and most consistent player, and has seen more minutes than their goalkeeper this season.
In the right interior, I think Pablo Torre will excel because he's both footed and can receive in the pockets a lot
He is more of a goal threat than a creator. I can trust Torre to get 15 goals in a season.
@@oleratomokoka7955 let’s hope he lives up to expectations and get some game time
@@oleratomokoka7955 based on his performance in third division?
He will never play in Barcelona under Xavi - he doesn't give chances to kids and doesn't rotate, he sticks to same players.
Florian wirts is needed for next season then we have the best midfield in the world ,, him and dejong then pedri and gavi Infront of them , dembele and balde on the sides , Lew in the middle, araujo kounde for corner and set peices ,
Yea
I think we might need Nico back in the summer to let him learn how to play the pivot position.
Then we can say we have a midfield for the future.
Who’s nico ?
When the fullback pushes up and the left winger comes inside and the midfielder comes deep, it creates a triangle making it easy to pass between each other when getting pressed by the opposition. It sees like it's a feature of luis enrque's spain team
Unfortunately, we're lacking in the LW/Inside left-forward department & haven't had an undisputed one since Neymar. We've yet to succeed him & currently the best option to do so is Luis Diaz.
Now I see why Xavi doesn't see Jong as a Bous successor. We do need a dm and I feel we either develop Nico or sign Zubimendi
De Jong is not a actual 6
@@lexkanyima2195 That's for sure, he operates best as a ball carrier. His dribbling past defensive lines.
@@kelvinlukindo6444 yes the new formation that Xavi is using 3-2-2-3 really helps de Jong as he has someone behind him as a cover when he drives the ball forward.
Imagine this team with amrabat and the way he can break any pressing line as easy as busquets
Alan Varela is our best bet
Wow one of the best videos I've seen from you. Hearing some of the progress we've made and listening to you talk about the future actually gave me chills. The future's so bright. We just have to capitalize on the potential. Great analysis as always.
Great stuff mate!
A nice in depth analysis of the current set-up.
All of the players suit their present roles really well. Having the defenders fit especially Kounde and Araujo with their smarts, physicality and speed as part of their defensive prowess has really allowed us to press more aggressively and helped snuff out counters.
I'd like to shout our Andreas Christensen... guy has quietly been class.
The new system also gets the best out of FdJ while having a lot more mobile bodies around Busi. Mats recovering his best form also adds an air of calm and assurance.
Moving forward I'd like to see the club go for a modern Destroyer type DMF that primarily focuses on being a defensive blackhole, simultaneously giving FDJ more of the "technical" duties of the pivot.
Barca has to realize that while Busquets has been the perfect pivot his profile is legitimately generational.... seems like it would be wiser to get that stay at home ball winner who covers ground, plugs holes and allows others to do stuff that gets the plaudits majority of times as that profile is arguably easier to get.
I can't wait to see the final iteration of Barca. Xavi is slowly figuring out how to optimize what he currently has while working towards his completed vision of Barca.
Just here to say, what a video man. 💪 shoutout to you. Three edits, info, dissecting to perfection these tactics.
You’re insane
Gavi is so chaotic man
I love it.
And pedri is just pure class.
While de jong is the perfect balance between these two gems.
De Jong is the largest gem. He's Barça's best player by a mile.
This is the best tactical explanation of our midfield I have seen..Keep up the good work and expecting more from you.👏👏
Finally a video explaining how awesome Bussie is, his multiple roles and how you need a higher understanding to even know what he's doing. Bussie is rated with negative marking as in his rating will mostly be based on the mistakes he makes.
Very comprehensive and thorough analysis. All the work put into making this video is worth it. The little captions and the arrows and labels... all of it... so worth it. An excellent video!
Not even major sporting channels on tv are this thorough.
Who was the Spaniard at ManCity Barca were trying to get for the midfield around the time they got feran?
Anyways, thanks again for the effort to include every detail
This was the first video I watched from this channel. I am amused. It feels great to see this type of channels. I can not wait to watch previous videos of the channel!
Man, this content is amazing.
This is my 3rd watch of the week
Keep the good work up
Really awesome
As always, spot on!
Would be so much fun to see Bernardo Silva in that “Right Interior” role. Probably the most press resistant player, a bit more chaotic than the likes of Pedri, but being left footed he would add a new range of threats and movements to the role
Thank you for great analysis! Like many other Barca fans this shiny new "4 man midfield" composition has me so excited for our future, so I was eagerly awaiting this video. For Pedri, I feel like if anyone could maximize the difficult and vague right interior role, it'd be him.
Recently he's been scoring a lot more - Betis (though disallowed), Madrid, and Getafe - and presents himself as another threat in the box when build up comes from the left. Like you said, the left draws so much attention and presence that when counterattacks happen, it's helpful to have someone with good instincts be there to be a goal threat.
Also, you mentioned in a video a while back that you'd like to a do a full in-depth analysis of Pedri himself, and I was wondering if that's still something possible. I really love your analyses and Pedri's one of my favorite players, so I'd love you hear your thoughts on him in particular, if there's a certain team composition that suits him best or what distinguishes him from other young midfielders people often compare him to.
And also adding an idea: though we know most of Barca's buildup is on the left so that's why the Controller role is on that side, is there a possibility of Pedri also taking on that role if they start building from the right? In your Raphinha video you mentioned how there's potential for that to happen, so I'm curious if there's any feasibility to Pedri being the right interior, but being able to also be a controller if we're building from the right. I'm not sure how possible that is haha but the idea of Pedri having that flexibility to maximize his skillset even further is such a tantalizing idea.
Nahhh you’re the goat man. Amazing video. Amazing analysis. I knew this was going to be great but it blew me out of the water! Great job
Glad you enjoyed :)
amazing production quality mate. big up
Massively informative!! Well done
Great video mate !
Great video! you are very smart when it comes to football and great at explaining to simpletons like myself and making the information digestable
Can you please make a video on the "Busquets replacement" topic, would love to get an in depth analysis on zubimendi and some other options.
man, the best video about barca's midfield system I have ever seen. awesome work
Amazing breakdown, thanks for painting the picture and make it clear for casual fans.
Super video as always!!!!!! I would love to hear your take on Barca's lack of ability to finish a game.
Also to your video, I feel Raphina would be great as the right interior if we have a good rb that can make good overlapping runs. Also, if we get an elite LW, the dynamic will change also.
man i love ur contents so much! it feels criminal to be watching these for free 🥵
Your way of explaining things is amazing
Great stuff as always
Great video man
Wow! What an incredible analysis. Love your interpretations and ideas 👏
Another amazing Informative video. Plsss keep them coming
Man you're so good ! Keep it up !
Incredible video 🙌
Amazing analysis well done. You've got a new subscriber 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Great content as always. Thank you!!!
what a video! Thank you! Keep up with the great work!!!
Loved every minute of that video man keep up the great content❤️💙
Great content!
Amazing video, keep up the good work!
Great video. Tactical masterclass 💯
These videos are 🔥🔥 bro
Subbed
You are spot-on in your post. I am just thinking about who will take Segio's position...
Your way of explaining things is amazing 👍
This was you best video .. everything was perfect, more of this please
I wait for your videos...such nicely explained 🖤
love your videos mate
Awesome! With sound !! :D
Great analysis
Great analysis ❤️
It's funny how everybody said there was no room in this team for Frenkie, because he cannot play the pivot role. I firstly disagree here but secondly, he plays Xavi's own role as a controlling box-to-box, even with some Pirlo-esque passes every now and then. Essentially, Xavi's system is a 325 with one 6, one 8 and two 10s.
Yess, and everyone was ready to lynch Koeman when he went 352.. (not that it was implemented well, but Xavi also doesn't play classic 433)
@@merijn4440 I don't think it's the fact that he played 352, it's also that he had problems with Laporta. Let's be honest, if he didn't fight with Laporta, chances are he might have still been here.
Control, mastermind, chaos this 100% accurate for these 3 young midfielders🔥🔥
amazing video bro
Great video.
Great video!!!
Superb analysis
Haven’t smile so much in so long, love the video ,love the game too❤️visca
Great video bro edit well.❤
this video should be on tv wow. I want to watch this again already
This is really awesome!
Genuinely, wanna see nico back and hopefully learns the role. There's more to come from FDJ, that's clear. Barca shouldn't risk selling him.
What an achievement! Reaching 45k subscribers 🔥 I have been watching this channel from 1k subscribers.
Wow… it was a great video… great analysis
Such a good video explaining the new barca side bro
My God sir you've done it again!! Another excellent video and breakdown of our formation and tactics. This is what football is about and I love your in-depth analysis of it all. Looking forward to seeing how we grow as a team and of course to watch your videos explaining it all!!
I laughed hard at "and the gaping hole in between" and Frenkie pops up from bottom
Great analysis. I hope Xavi trusts Nico as much as he does Balde, in terms of replacing Busquets. However this system of play won't be very good for Ansu Fati.
I do think playing De Jong, Gavi and Pedri as midfield trio can work though.
Very good video.
Enjoyed ❤
great work
Thank you Purist
You're doing great 👍
This is an amazing video.
Amazing video my friend!!!! For me Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina would've been a perfect destroyer, seems like we can't sign him on deadline day and he's leaving to a Premier League club. Other players like Ibrahim Sangaré of PSV, Koné of Mönchengladbach are also interesting players that could fill the 'Destroyer' role in the future!
When we consider all the qualities you mentioned, I really wanna see Kimmich in that role. There are not many players who can fit right in, honestly. Even "the destroyer" Casemiro is not so comfortable on the ball comparing to Busquest. Thats why, Real used to have Kroos playing as a deep ball playing midfielder next to Casemiro. Ngolo Kante will become a free agent but i am not sure if he will be the right choice concerning his injury records.
Kante is also barely younger than Busquets. Barcelona should be looking for a long term solution. Clubs simply do not sell world class DMs unless they already have depth there (like Madrid selling Casemiro to Utd), so known elite quantities like Kimmich, Partey, Rodri, Tonali, Tchouameni, etc. probably aren't going to be buying options. I think Brighton's Moises Caicedo could be developed into a solid Busquets replacement, but his signature will also be hotly contested in the summer and therefore expensive.
@@pizzashark7067 Barcelona already know who they want amrabat the one at fiorentina 25 years old a fucking gem already got offeres from utd and chelsea this january window but declined becouse he wants Barcelona that is our man
Kante is head and shoulders above Kimmich. I'd even prefer Bernardo Silva over Kimmich in that position. Kimmich looks good because the whole Bayern midfield works around him. He's not a system player.
You are the best!!💯
The best video!! This channel belongs to us, culers!! 💪👍
Oh my gosh! I loved it and it's really interesting to watch this and get this amount of information haha!! Let's say that Barcelona is graced again to sign Lionel Messi; can this be a solution to the right interior position or a downgrade to Pedri's game time? For me, I think a little bit of both because if we had a left-footed midfielder who is offensive-minded, then that would be a solution.
bernardo is the dream
How could Barca not play Messi as the inside forward? It would be bad for Gavi as he’s cementing his role in the team. And Messi would never accept a role as Super Sub
Messi back at barça for one last dance would be the stuff of dreams but it would still be a short term solution in any case.
Messi in this formation would be phenomenal. If he played where Lewandoski does, he would give so many more options for Xavi.
System would need a change as Messi does not press a lot and Is not physically a substitute to receive direct balls from MATS when needed. I think messi could best work as an right interior but he would need other players to press for him which is going to create a sort of imbalance, for messi to work we need a solid DM to cover for lapses up front.
It wont work for him. Then you would have to revamp everything which would just ruin the progress again.
@@AJ_91 or just make messi press
Pedri absolutely helps us immensely in the advanced role, more than any other midfielder we have. But it's sad to let go of all the amazing long passes we saw from him in his DLP role earlier in the season.
The midfield situation is such that Pedri is better than FdJ in both the tempo setting role and the advanced playmaker role, so we need to be careful with the deployments. Mostly, who plays which role will be situational, based on the opponent's tactics we can switch around, and obv there are in-game rotations as well
One of busquets' skill is excellent press breaker... please add that...he's one of my favorite and under appreciated players of all time. His Simple passes and feints break so many many lines.
Amazing video with great points, I wanted to play football manager after watching it... I believe after shifting to this formation and style of play, Barca have finally shifted from playing a structured 4-3-3 where each have their positional role and very dependent on individual plays, to where we are now where it is clear that each player understands what to do as a team as explained in the video. Biggest issue for Xavi to solve now, you placed a midfielder on the wing and Dembele is very comfortable in that position, what are you gona do to all the others on the bench? there is no way you can maintain this dominant control of the game with these subs, the only sub you can make is to bring Kessie in for Frankie but only when you need a ball winning midfielder, other than that if you sub any other player with any other player you'll immediately lose control of the match as we have seen on sooo many occasions.
When you titled it the Destroyer even average football Joe like me knew what it was and it clicked with me easily. Barcelona is a tactic birthplace with player turned coach/manager bringing something new. Only Xavi could bring this new evolution to his own time on the pitch, how successful it will be remains to be seen.
You are my favourite football CZcamsr fr
Would love your thoughts on players in world football capable of playing the pivot role in this system post-Busquets
Absolutely great analyisis!
I think the future will depend how Xavi sees football without Busquets. With De Jong, Pedri and Gavi, all being very talented and technical players, i think Barca should go for more of a Casemiro styled CDM, the one who could be a more of a Destroyer, who could learn with time to play passes like the brazilian did for RM.
I'm not a fan of Parejo or Zubimendi signings because while they are very busquets-like, they have the same negatives that he has, being rather physically weak, not very athletic and not that reliable on pure defending.
Bajcetic is the true busquets successor
this video is GOLD.
I love your videos
I really hope Kessie gets some time in the new system with the double pivot. Rest Busquets here and there as I feel like Kessie deserves the chance to show what he's got
He proved his worth against Sevilla. Hope he stats consistent until Busi comes back from injury. If Kessie stay consistent he'll be a key player next season
@@harshith7793 kessie isn't a cdm he is a cm with phisicall pressense same as de jong
Guys am i the only one itching for a pure left winger like Neymar? Alba's work was simpler.
This new system shows Xavi's quality as a manager. Its also amazing how you break it down for us making it easy to understand.
Bernardo Silva was meant to be the right interior. It seems anyone in that role always suffers especially with 3 mids. Hopefully we get him this summer. I like that people understand now why Frenkie doesn't just replace Busquets. One way or another, Barcelona will find its way to the top.
It makes sense why Xavi tried hard to get Bernardo Silva, perfect fit for the “Right Interior” role
10/10 video 👏🏻
Wasn't that his role at monaco?
I honestly really want to see Raphinha in the right interior role with Dembele outside on the right wing. I feel that Raphinha isn't the best at taking on a defender or crossing from the touchline, but he is GREAT at those lofted/looping through balls to teammates making the runs in behind. Maybe it wouldn't work, but it would be great to at least try, maybe against a lesser opponent.
Your analysis are too good
I think Busquets should continue for another 1-2 years (perhaps take the Modric route) & we find another experienced DM who would participate against high intensity oppositions. 4-4-2 | 4-2-2-2 really works for barcelona! Gives us more intensity, dominance over the ball, kinda like Arg in WC! The Classico 3-1 game was pure bliss.