TOGETHER

"Every time we are together, we create something. Every time we are separated , they create something".

I wrote this yesterday while watching the match Madrid-Barça. I think it summarizes for me what was the game. While Barça played "positionally" applying the correct criteria for this type of play, the game was placid for Martino's men. And, while Madrid made ​​high pressure to prevent to play the ball out from the back, in case it can not work out, kick up and out. As the team was well placed, although the ball was for the white players, it was relatively easy that there wasn't great danger for Valdés. Barca scored ​​the first goal and Messi had the second in a play where he controlled the ball a little long.

This changed from the time that Barça relaxed a bit and Madrid was able to leave with counterattacks. Cristiano came to the center and the left wing was allowed for Di Maria. And he damaged, a lot of damage. Breaking again and again Alves, who had no help from Xavi, who was away by that of the separate lines, or Mascherano, that theoretically should give coverage, but in fact was more aware of Benzema, he created enough danger to score 3 or 4 goals.

Towards the end of the first half, Barca was together again and returned to have options, until Messi made ​​the 2-2 before the break.

The second half was quite different. Although Madrid took the lead again, the feeling was that Barça had much more controlled the game, but had troubles to create danger, but on the other hand, did not give options for counterattack to Madrid.

And the key play of the game came. Messi makes an amazing pass on the ground: he breaks two lines (double pivot and the back four) and eliminates 6! players. I recommend everyone to see it and especially those who are dedicated to teaching football to use it as a model of what a pass means. The referee called the penalty and sent off Ramos. Martino brought Pedro for Neymar and, somewhat later, Alexis was in for Cesc, for Iniesta to return in midfield and to play with three clear forwards.

And I say that is key, not only for what it means for the opposing team with one less player, but by the fact that, from then on, Barça became the boss of the match permanently. Lines together without options for the Madrid game and allowing rapid recoveries for Barca and creating danger. In fact, many saw a fifth goal could come at any time.

Important considerations:

1) When the lines are together, when from Piqué (great game yesterday, why it will not be always the same?), to Messi, here are at most 30 meters and mobility appears, this team is still the dominator. When as many games this year, the lines are separated, Xavi can not go up and down and Busquets can not cover everything and is when the defensive problems are magnified. And this is know by all teams. Madrid, too. And this is exploited in almost every game. When we run like in the schoolyard we suffer too much at the back, for the very simple reason that there is no 8 or 9 players to defend. When the team comes together, it is easier to recover the ball and better to defend. The defense suffers, beyond the gaps that may exist, by this disorder and Valdés is becoming more critical than before and now is much more involved in the game with hands than with feet, and this means that opponents arrives too often to the goal.

2) Messi, for the same reason, is much less part of the game, but instead, it is much more crucial now. O scoring, or assisting. And that's a lot. The problem is in his "disconnections" that, as I say, are given by the "new" way of playing of Barça. Earlier, Messi appeared not to much to get balls. Now, he has to come a lot to look for them, because they don't arrive to his area of ​​influence. And that, often is not good.

3) Let us keep clear. Yesterday was a great game for football fans, but I do not think it was for many coaches. Crazy matches, with "races" to here or there only like to the weaker teams, knowing that it is much easier for them to take advantage of this type of game. This must be fixed by Barça. And, the sooner the better, because, in Champions League, Atlético will do the same as Madrid did yesterday: closed at back and go to the counter, and these are equally or more dangerous than those playing this type of game.

If we want to go to Lisbon, together and "ordered", which is what led us to Paris, Rome or London.

Jordi Pascual

You can follow me on Twitter: @JordiPascualP

THE BALL GIVE US THE ORDER

When Cruyff came to Barça as Manager, he said that so well known and simple: "If I have the ball, you don’t have it and, therefore, you have two jobs: get the ball and score a goal". Then, the "Dream Team" came.

Pep Guardiola, Cruyff’s pupil (and also of Van Gaal, Capello, Lillo, Bielsa, etc.) rewrote the sentence and said that of "The ball gives us the order" which seems silly, but that says 2 things very clear:

1)     If I attack well, that is, if I'm well positioned on the pitch, when the ball is lost you’ll have many more options to recover it quickly (the "rule of six seconds": if not stolen in 6 seconds, regain initial positions) 
2)     If my shape is good when the opponent has the ball, I have many more options to intercept, steal, cut the pass, etc.

All this is beside the point that there is much talk lately about Barça's Vilanova and further compared with Guardiola: now there isn’t this pressure that existed before, the team is less "positional" (shorter attacks) and vertically (more "stretched”, etc.). I totally agree with this, but for me this is not the problem of the current Barça.

Isn’t there high pressure? Well, if I press right at the back, I’ll catch the ball. Remember where turnovers were done by Mourinho’s Inter or by Bayern the other day. Not in defence, no: In the space between the "creation area" and "end zone", which is commonly known as ¾ of the pitch.

What happens there? Well, there are 5-6 men behind the ball and 5-6 ahead, i.e. if I steal the ball, I have plenty of room to run and few players to defend. Where Bayern pressed? At the same place. To which players? The same that Inter: Xavi and Iniesta. These could pick up the ball more or less quietly in their own half, but by the time they passed the centre circle, agonizing pressure and forcing losses.

Why here? Well, here is where teams generally tend to be more disorganized: neither the defenders are out, neither the attackers are at place to start the static attack. Consequence: disorganized team and facility for the opponents. As we have not order, problems.

If this can be done to Barça, Barça can also do it, and this is what they DID before and what they DON’T do now. We talked before about the "six seconds". If the team did not recover the ball, they recovered the position, but they CONTINUED PRESSING. Now the team "floats" on the ball holder, and press only when it comes near the box and, for me this is a problem.

Now, the team recovers the ball, generally, far from goal. This allows for, obviously, many more spaces (Barça does it when attacking static, the others do the same). As there are spaces, 3-4 players go to counterattack quickly. If the play is finished, perfect, but if not, now there are problems. Before, when the team was leaving out, was leaving ALL, the 11 players, so that, if you could not finish the play, always had support behind to begin static attack. Not now. The ones for the counter go out and the rest of the team is practically on own half, a little bit "you’ll do it" and, when they can’t finish the play, there are just 6-7 players to defend, as the others have already been overcome. It is not to attack everyone, but it is to maintain the proper gap between lines, and it seems that currently it doesn’t happen. The problem is not to be more vertical. The problem is to have the team in place. Again the same: lose the ball at ¾ of the field with space for the opponents and, with few people to stop them.

There is a third point: finish the plays. In Guardiola’s “manual”, this was a basic principle. If I finish the play, I go to place to re-start the recovery of the ball (in case the goalkeeper saves or goal kick). If you don’t finish, I'm back in the previous case: as I have separate lines, there are spaces for the opponents.

Anyway, it’s always the same: to have the team ordered, well positioned. And, always, depending on where the ball is. You can’t start static attack if you are not well placed, because if you're not well placed, you’ll not move the opponents from side to side, and you will not find the spaces. And if you do not find spaces, you lose your calm and if you lose your calm, you make mistakes and, if you make mistakes ...

And, to be well placed, you must be close the ball, because "the ball gives us the order."