The main problem Javi Gracia has had (beyond awful team selection) is structuring our attacks without making us more vulnerable defensively. The answer is extremely basic & obvious. Kangin as SS.

Soler - Račić is too flat without a third option that offers verticality.

Even Parejo - Coq/Kondogbia had that in Rodrigo who regularly dropped and acted as a link to give our midfield an option between the lines & disruption enough to open up the wide areas.

Gracia has played Gameiro there (he can’t do it, he’s too much of a forward) & Guedes (his starting position is wide and deep, and he’s far more individualistic than Rodrigo who is more Griezmann).

Guedes is a ball carrier but that starting position doesn’t enable the midfield.

What we see whenever Kangin plays is that he drops between the lines to form a midfield 3 with the 2 CMs. His combinations with them help us to advance the ball through the middle and look far more dangerous. Soler & Račić suddenly look way better & circulate the ball better.

The Cadiz game - an example. We were going to lose that game 100% if Gameiro didn’t get injured. He was playing SS and struggling to even touch the ball. And when he did, he couldn’t do any of the things required for the role. Kangin came on and we instantly looked better.

And Kangin didn’t even have to do much for us to look better. Just having him there completely changed the dynamic of our play. Thankfully, he’s also a high IQ player so his touches and combinations with the 2 worked brilliantly.

But as usual, Gracia made a blunder.

He wanted to go all in so he took off Wass, moved Kangin into a midfield two with Soler and threw on Sobrino.

While I understand him throwing on more bodies (and truthfully, Kangin - Soler actually worked), Correia was the guy to take off not Wass.

Move Wass back to RB. He’s a lot better than Correia, even going forward (and he’s not great at CM/DM anyway).

Wass would have given us a lot down the right as we piled on the pressure. But we became predictable because we went 100% left-heavy in possession.

We had Gayà, Kangin, Vallejo and even Soler building all attacks on the left. They were all there. And the plan was simply to give Gayà the ball in a good crossing position, especially after it brought the equaliser. The right side was dead and then. Umber able to counters.

One understated thing about Wass in RB is his ability to snuff out counters. It barely gets noticed but you’re not countering down his side, most times. He’ll foul or win the ball or something. He’s a disruptor when he needs to be. Correia isn’t.

We should have beaten Barcelona too but, as always, Gracia made a few mistakes. The mistakes are sometimes so ridiculous that it’s hard to argue that he isn’t intentionally sabotaging us to get fired. Won’t front. I now don’t like him.