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Barcelona received a 8-2 humbling by Bayern Munich last night, which may lead to Quique Setien's sacking. It is important to know why Barcelona are in the situation they are in right now.
A lot of Vital players are past their peaks and the young talent received a lot of gametime
A lot of Vital players are past their peaks and the young talent received a lot of gametime
De Jong is the only young player to receive decent minutes. Arthur comes in second but he has already left for Juve. Dembele, Puig and Fati etc are good talents but they aren't ready to be starters already.
Also, there are not a lot of "Barcelona quality" players in their peak.
Also, there are not a lot of "Barcelona quality" players in their peak.
Let's take a look at Barcelona's goal contributors.
The frontline does well here but reliance on Messi shows, as expected. The lack of contribution from the fullbacks is really worrying here. Also Vidal is the only midfielder with decent numbers
Disjointed attack is highlighted
The frontline does well here but reliance on Messi shows, as expected. The lack of contribution from the fullbacks is really worrying here. Also Vidal is the only midfielder with decent numbers
Disjointed attack is highlighted
Now, looking at the Open Play Shot Creating Actions, for a detailed look.
Messi shines, yet again. Suarez, Fati and Vidal look good too. Again, the lack of contribution from the fullbacks is highlighted here. This is worrying since they are responsible for most of the wing play.
Messi shines, yet again. Suarez, Fati and Vidal look good too. Again, the lack of contribution from the fullbacks is highlighted here. This is worrying since they are responsible for most of the wing play.
Now looking at which players progress ball the most through passing.
Naturally, deeper players should do well here. Messi being this high shows how he is responsible for most of the progression and he has to come deeper to achieve this.
Naturally, deeper players should do well here. Messi being this high shows how he is responsible for most of the progression and he has to come deeper to achieve this.
Looking at progression through carries gives interesting results.
Wide players shine in this metric, usually. Barcelona's over-reliance on central congestion is highlighted here. Messi is responsible for most progression with Alba looking very poor here.
Wide players shine in this metric, usually. Barcelona's over-reliance on central congestion is highlighted here. Messi is responsible for most progression with Alba looking very poor here.
Who is the most comfortable player under pressure?
Funnily, the player who performs the best under pressure from opponents is no longer at Barcelona. The midfield does well in this department.
Funnily, the player who performs the best under pressure from opponents is no longer at Barcelona. The midfield does well in this department.
Now looking at the Barcelona players who apply the most number of pressures.
Vidal is second to none in this category and the rest of Barcelona players fall flat on their faces. Fati and Griezmann are the only forwards to show well here.
The team appears disorganized.
Vidal is second to none in this category and the rest of Barcelona players fall flat on their faces. Fati and Griezmann are the only forwards to show well here.
The team appears disorganized.
Which Barcelona players lose the most possession?
Messi is high here but it is to be expected with the responsibility on his shoulders. Fati and Alba are too high for their roles.
Messi is high here but it is to be expected with the responsibility on his shoulders. Fati and Alba are too high for their roles.
And finally, taking a look at the ball winners in this Barcelona squad.
Vidal and Busquets do very well here. The ball winning nature of the defenders with a highline and lack of pressure from the forwards is one of the reasons why the defence appears frail.
Vidal and Busquets do very well here. The ball winning nature of the defenders with a highline and lack of pressure from the forwards is one of the reasons why the defence appears frail.
Final Thoughts:
Barcelona's team is past their best and in dire need of a rebuild. The transfer strategy of the board in pursuit of a UCL and maximizing Messi's final years has backfired immensely.
Apart from De Jong and Lenglet, not many youngsters have received gametime.
Barcelona's team is past their best and in dire need of a rebuild. The transfer strategy of the board in pursuit of a UCL and maximizing Messi's final years has backfired immensely.
Apart from De Jong and Lenglet, not many youngsters have received gametime.
The likes of Fati, Puig and Alena deserve gametime and a cleaning out is needed.
Barcelona need more creativity from midfield, more involvement from the fullbacks and more effort from the frontline. A lot of this has to do with aging profiles. A cleanup is needed.
Barcelona need more creativity from midfield, more involvement from the fullbacks and more effort from the frontline. A lot of this has to do with aging profiles. A cleanup is needed.
Barcelona need to invest in a project and give it time to succeed. This requires patience from fans and board but Barcelona is still at least 5-6 signings away from being their best
As for Messi's future, he needs to make a decision on whether a rebuild can happen with him there
As for Messi's future, he needs to make a decision on whether a rebuild can happen with him there
All stats are per 90 as given on @fbref
The Age plot was made using @RobinWilhelmus's Shiny app. You can find it here: https://shinynew.robinkoetsier.nl/AppTwo/
Feedback is appreciated.
The Age plot was made using @RobinWilhelmus's Shiny app. You can find it here: https://shinynew.robinkoetsier.nl/AppTwo/
Feedback is appreciated.
