Patterns of play

Patterns of play
Barca plays very systematically. They repeat the same patterns of play over and over. This makes it easy for players to make decisions because they make the same limited set of decisions many times in a game and have prepared for those same decisions in practice.
Of course, many of these patterns are themselves based on very advanced technical ability. In particular, first touch is huge because it provides time and because it makes Barca players so hard to mark.
Still, these patterns help make Barca so efficient. And it is worth looking at a few of them in a bit more detail.

1. Playing across the back
The ball switches across the back 4 for Barca dozens of times a game. It’s a central part of their strategy, and it requires that playesr be committed to playing the ball and not panicking, while teammates always move intelligently to give the player with the ball multiple standard options.

2. Ball up the wing.
This is almost as prevalent. The wing defender plays a fairly short (10-20m) pass up the wing to the wing midfielder or sometimes wing forward (Barca play 4-3-3). Mid has several set options, all played one or two touch:
• infield toward the center mid (preferable)
• if that is not open, back to the wing.
• Third option is diagonal pass back to center D.
Note that what the wing mid does NOT do is try to turn and dribble.

3. Center mid triangles
The center and wing mids and three forward interchange endlessly to create small triangles that rotate the ball until an opportunity present itself.
These triangles require a lot:
• lots of short movement,
• excellent touch,
• vision (looking up to see what’s what before the ball even arrives)
• brilliant turning and shielding ability (watch Xavi – best turns in the world)

4. Cut in wingers
The Barca wingers play extremely wide. This tends to leave them one on one – whicvh they exploit not by going outside down the line but infield. This drive brings the closest center defender toward them, and leaves open a space into which the CF can move. Eto’o was a master of this, but Ibra is learning the system and quickly getting better.

5. The big switch
Because Barca wingers stay so wide, the far side winger is often a long way form the closest defender who has been trained to drop back toward the center to provide additional cover.
Hence a big switch from the right center mid or center back to the left winger is often an easy and safe pass.


6. Overlapping fullbacks
The cut-in wingers leave the defense with an impossible problem if the full back goes with the winger. It leaves a massive hole for an overlapping fullback, exploited multiple times a game by Dani Alves in particular.

If the ball stays with the winger, Alves can continue his run right into the penalty area. Otherwise he can simply receive in stride and strike a low powerful cross. Many of Barca’s key goals have come from Alves crosses (e.g. Messi’s goal against Man U in the Champions’ league final and again last week against Estudiantes in Dubai).