New Year, Same Old Barcelona - the problems and the solutions
Las Palmas 1-2 Barcelona - La Liga
In the first game of 2024, Barcelona rebounded from a shockingly poor first half to from behind and beat Las Palmas 1-2 at Estadio de Gran Canaria.
It’s hard to describe just how bad Barcelona were in the first-half, but the best way is probably to mention that they didn’t register a single shot on goal.
Not just a shot on target, not a shot at all.
Despite it being a new year, this looked like the same old Barcelona we have seen far too many times this season where they start games seemingly half asleep and dig themselves into a hole, a hole they aren’t always able to shoot themselves out of.
Yet if you watched the game, this didn’t look like Barcelona were terrible. They were constantly threatening the Las Palmas goal by cruising long balls over or through the Canarians and into the acres of space left by the home side’s high defensive line.
Most of these chances were swept up by Alvaro Vallés in a daring display reminiscent of the great Manuel Neuer against Algeria in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, hence Barcelona not having any shots.
Xavi’s critics, and there are many, won’t like it but the manager’s tactical idea was clearly a good one. The execution of it was shocking - but no one would question the wisdom of trying to exploit a near-suicidally high defensive line with direct play.
When asked why the tactic wasn’t working last night, Barcelona manager Xavi’s answer was simple but true. He told LaLigaTV it was “because the pass was not good.”
Only once did Barcelona measure the ball correctly, when Frenkie de Jong found Sergi Roberto, but the Barcelona captain inexplicably tried to pass to Ferran Torres despite being 1-v-1 with Alvaro Vallés. The ball was cleared and the chance was gone - but that was the only time Barça got it right. Every other time? “Not good.”
Problem: injuries
Barcelona’s poor use of the ball was bad enough, but couple that with an early knock to Joao Cancelo, who limped off with a knee injury after striking the ball at the same time as a Las Palmas defender, and a ridiculously soft goal as Cancelo’s replacement was caught cold by the home side, and it looked like another miserable away day for Xavi’s men; a side that has been ravaged by injury.
Pedri has missed masses of game time this season and is now hurt again. Frenkie de Jong’s had a long injury spell that kickstarted Barcelona’s slide into poor form. Iñigo Martinez started the season injured then got hurt again just when he was playing some outrageously good stuff.
Speaking of which, Jules Kounde began the season in outrageous form but since returning from an Autumn knock he’s only looked good playing right-back. Lewandowski also got hurt just when he had found his goalscoring form and while he barely missed any time it seems as though he never recovered, or maybe he aged a decade during his time off. Sergi Roberto has faced huge spells out, and Marcos Alonso is presently injury as well. Alright, Marcos Alonso sucks, but still!
Then there’s Gavi.
Sigh.
Finally, Ter Stegen is currently hurt. What was supposed to be a short lay-off has now seen him ruled out for quite a while now, and in his place Iñaki Peña has been a mostly wobbly replacement.
Solution: pray?
Footballers are playing too much, that is certain. Several clubs around the world are suffering with injuries as players keep on being pushed to their physical limits. However, Barcelona’s continual struggle with muscle injuries cannot be just poor luck. Something has to change at the club because they are presently without two of their young jewels in Pedri and Gavi because of injury, while the third jewel (Ansu Fati) is currently injured out on loan at Brighton. This is drastically impacting their ability to play football, just as Ter Stegen’s absence is killing them defensively.
Problem: Iñaki Peña
Iñaki Peña’s foibles were keenly felt in Las Palmas’ opening goal last night.
Andreas Christensen was three yards deeper than his fellow defenders, keeping Munir El Haddadi onside as Sandro Ramirez (both ex-Barcelona boys) fizzed a low ball across him. It should have been an easy clearance for the Dane but he froze in the floodlights and Iñaki Peña was pitifully weak coming off his line, allowing Munir to tap home.
Now, sure, it’s probably on the Dane that this goal happened. Or on one of the midfielders for not stopping the attack at source. But one can’t help but feel that Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, or hell literally any other goalkeeper in La Liga, would have simply jumped onto Sandro’s cross and smothered the ball.
Solution: score more goals
Iñaki Peña is a fine back-up to ride the bench all season, playing a few cup games here and there, but long-term he has shown that he is a level below the standard Barcelona require in the net. Unfortunately they don’t really have the finances (nor the youth, as hot prospect Arnau Tenas departed for PSG this summer) to go and get a better back-up, so they basically have to just tough it out until the German returns. Scoring more goals so that they aren’t so reliant on a clean sheet is the most obvious answer, but that runs Barcelona straight into their biggest problem.
Problem: the forwards are rubbish
Barcelona’s biggest problem, both against Las Palmas and all this season in general, is their shocking forward play.
Is Gran Canaria, Robert Lewandowski was jogging around looking a podcaster playing five-a-side rather than a professional footballer while Raphinha looked like a child on a sugar high, manic and lethargic at the same time. Ferran Torres had the right ideas but didn’t quite have the athleticism and/or confidence to pull them off.
When your forward line is that much of a mess, how can you expect to make anything good happen against the second-best defence in La Liga?
Before tonight’s game Barcelona had a league-high 40.7 xG on the season according to FBref, but had scored just 34 goals in that time (Real Madrid, meanwhile, have scored 40 times off 32.9 xG and Girona have 46 goals with 36.1 xG).
Despite critics of Xavi’s system and style, the chances are being created. They’re just not being taken. And even when they’re not seeing chances, as in the first-half tonight, the reason is because the forwards can’t get it together.
Think of what happens when Vini Jr. gets the ball, or Mohamed Salah, or Victor Osimhen… you instantly feel like something is going to happen, like the defence is in danger. You just don’t feel that way with Lewandowski, Raphinha or even Ferran.
Lewandowski is Barcelona’s top scorer this season with 8 goals in La Liga. Meanwhile Madrid, Girona, Atleti and, weirdly, Getafe, all have guys in double figures (Jude Bellingham, Artem Dovbyk, Alvaro Morata and Borja Mayoral, respectively).
Ilkay Gundogan expertly pinpointed just how much solving the problem would help Barcelona after the match when speaking to La Liga TV.
"It would help our team, especially with all the young players we have, it would help them a lot to score the first one and gain confidence, to get better rhythm into the game, let the opponent run and create chances. it may even be easier for ourselves too." — Ilkay Gundogan
Goals change games and when you always carry a goal threat teams treat you differently in both attack and defence. This remains Xavi’s biggest conundrum to solve: how to get Barcelona’s forwards to not be terrible. Well, the solution may have presented itself in the second-half.
Solution: play the kids! And the misfits!
Xavi has always been a coach who makes excellent half-time adjustments and usually great substitutions as well. And sure enough Barcelona came out from the break with renewed vigor, actually pressing Las Palmas and using the ball with greater purpose. Even before a sub had been made, Barça had control of the game and were level.
The equaliser actually involved two of the forwards too, albeit in an amusing way. The goal itself was a neat finish from Ferran Torres, who received a short pass from Sergi Roberto and slotted it home calmly. It showed the levels he is able to reach, the quality he can produce. Yet it was just his 4th goal in La Liga this season.
Lewandowski was involved in the goal too! Earlier in the move, a Las Palmas clearance smashed him in the face before falling for Sergi Roberto.
However once the subs were made, Barcelona actually began to properly threaten Las Palmas. They pushed and pushed before bagging the winning goal deep into stoppage time.
"[Coming from behind to win late is] mentally demanding. We showed in a lot of games that we're able to deal with that mental pressure." — Ilkay Gundogan
As much as all the bad stuff, this too is par for the course with Xavi’s Barcelona this season. No team has won more points late in the last 15 minutes of matches in 2023/24 than Barcelona’s 19. They may not always play like defending champions, but they have the mental strength of defending champions that’s for sure.
The subs definitely helped them play a bit more like defending champions away to Las Palmas, however. Lamine Yamal replaced Raphinha and Joao Felix came on for Lewandowski, then six minutes later Fermin Lopez replaced Sergi Roberto and Vitor Roque came on for Ferran Torres.
Lewandowski going off on 72 minutes was the big change, of course. Seeing the Pole leave the pitch with so much time remaining and when Barça were desperate for the goal was shocking, but Xavi made the right call and for the right reasons.
“Lewandowski was replaced today because we needed attackers who can attack behind the defense line.” — Xavi
It was even smart for Xavi to remove Lewandowski for Joao Felix, rather than a direct change where he came off for Vitor Roque. The 18 year-old Brazilian did make his debut eventually of course, but Xavi sidestepped the political landmine of removing the underperforming veteran for the hot young striker, at least for now.
But based on what we saw in those last 15 minutes, this is not going to be the last time Vitor Roque outshines Lewandowski.
Vitor Roque did not score against Las Palmas, though he should have. He scuffed a great chance wide from close-range, albeit with his weak foot while under pressure from the defence. However his attitude was first-class. In fact he won the ball back seconds later and rifled a shot at goal which was deflected wide.
It wasn’t that Vitor Roque was amazing against Las Palmas, but he did things Lewandowski hasn’t done for an age. He pressed like a maniac, almost winning the ball directly off Alvaro Vallés at one point. He made several runs in behind the defence with a degree of gusto and intent. Mostly, he looked fresh and hungry and like he wasn’t going to stop moving because that’s what kept the attack alive.
Of course he’s 17 years younger than Robert Lewandowski, so maybe this is to be expected, but his drive really helped Barcelona look more like Barcelona.
Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, defended with more diligence than he usually does and despite being 16 years-old (it really needs to be mentioned every time) played with restraint and intelligence far beyond his years. This wasn’t even one of his best games but he was still better than Raphinha; and it was his delicious through-ball that set Joao Felix through for the move that won the stoppage time penalty. Seriously, the kid cut the whole Las Palmas defence open with this ball, and he did it effortlessly. He then repeated the trick for the move that led to Vitor Roque’s great chance.
Joao Felix is the other solution for Xavi. He’s an inconsistent misfit in front of goal, but his attitude towards being dropped was first-class. He came off the bench, made runs in behind and used the ball superbly.
Joao Felix created Vitor Roque’s chance for him, and then when Lamine Yamal played him in at the death, he made half a yard of space and then rather than try a typical Barcelona fancy boy pass he just smashed it really hard at goal.
It wasn’t complex, but it worked because the shot’s ferocity was such that Alvaro Vallés could only palm the ball into the air where Ilkay Gundogan appeared ready to tap home the rebound.
Daley Sinkgraven shoved him in the back stop that from happening, conceding a penalty in the process. Gundogan stepped up and slotted home to win the game, but the goal came from fast and incisive play from Barcelona’s subs.
Joao Felix may be a misfit, and hell so is Ferran Torres, but by regularly rotating the two in that starting role, Xavi may be able to keep both motivated enough to perform with a degree of consistency from the start or off the bench.
Combine that with the kids Lamine Yamal and Vitor Roque bringing genuine thrust into the attack (along with Marc Guiu, and even Fermin Lopez who was a bright sub in midfield late on against Las Palmas as well) and Barcelona’s solution to get their attack going could be right in front of their face.