After the first international break, Barça will return to Montjuïc to welcome Betis. A rival that, by proposal and by level of squad, is always one of the most pleasant teams to watch in the championship. A stimulating meeting to restart the League. Here are my 5 tactical keys for this match:
It will be the first lineup with the new Barça defender in the eleven and it will also be interesting to see various things that will arise from it. To begin with, who will be his companions on the defensive line. Koundé, Christensen and Balde come from playing for national teams but the minutes load of none of them has been excessive so they are considered probable. And then, check the exact role that Xavi wants from him. And Cancelo can be both a depth full-back and an internalized full-back who maintains position and generates superiority in the middle of the field. Another very real possibility is that you combine the two tasks depending on the specific situation of the game.
Due to Betis’ disposition (a marked 4-2-3-1) and the characteristics of its midfielders, Pellegrini’s players leave a lot of room for interior play in specific areas of the field: those in the midfield (Isco ) to the double pivot (Guido and Marc Roca or Guardado normally). And that is where Barça can take advantage to do damage by constantly finding people with interior talent: De Jong, Gundogan or Joao Félix. It will be essential for the Barça team to take advantage of the fact that today they will have more facilities than usual to maximize their internal game.
Barça has to be clear that the favorable side to enter is Betis’ left. The band in which, a priori, Miranda (or Abner in his absence) has to play. The former Barcelona player is becoming a better player. When he joins the attack he is a danger due to his good footing in the centers and his great outside hitting. But he is still a footballer who attacks much better than he defends. Both he and Abner are vulnerable in defensive face-offs. Whoever plays there (both Lamine, Ferran and Raphinha have very real options) will have to be very daring to challenge them. They will have the upper hand.
If Xavi wants to maintain the usual playing pattern with a winger-midfielder generating superiority, another important factor will be who occupies the upper left corner of the square. With the loss of Pedri and the discomfort that Gundogan has from national teams, it is very possible that it will be Joao Félix. It is a good match for the Portuguese to exploit his most notable point, his talent between the lines. Furthermore, it comes from
good feelings with his team (with a goal included). It will be essential that he chooses the tempo well to come in and that he remains open while the team is in the start of the game or construction zone. Otherwise, the tactical framing will not be as efficient. Interesting decision by Xavi and a significant match for the new Barça attacker.
Isco’s level must be highlighted. A player who has regained the will to be a footballer and who has Pellegrini’s unlimited confidence. Pay attention to William José because he is in a state of grace. He has three goals in just 223 minutes of play. On the other hand, we would like to highlight a name that has not been very well known until now but that must be noted: that of Sergi Altimira. Trained in Barça’s youth football and after his time in Sabadell, he is a bet for the Betic team and is a super interesting footballer. And the midfielder has the quality to distribute and physicality both to win duels and to reach the area from the second line. That is to say, a very complete player. Let no one be surprised that he ends the season being a fixture and an important player for Pellegrini. We will see if he has minutes today.