Tactically, it is possible to take Barcelona or Spain on at their own game and beat them. The Spanish tactic is essentially to pass the ball around, ensuring the opposition can’t get hold of it. Then, when out of possession, they will press and squeeze the space on the pitch in order to win the ball back quickly. They probe for gaps, and ultimately, have players so gifted they can execute this plan to perfection most of the time.
But what if we cloned Spain and pitted them against themselves? What would one Spain team do against the other Spain side, if both had equally good players? Would one decide that they can’t out play the other? No. They’d have it out, and see who was better.
Of course, no team can claim to have players as good as Spain or Barcelona, and so you may think this is a pointless argument. But it is not. The whole point of the Barcelona style is that it does not rely on superb individuals, as good as Xavi, Iniesta or Leo Messi are. It relies on a system, and players who can execute it. To out pass Barcelona you don’t need players as good as theirs. You need players who are comfortable enough on the ball to pass it as well.
Arsenal last year perhaps showed this best at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg of their second round clash. What happened when Arsenal had the ball was that they passed it around, and their players were so good technically that they were able to keep the ball off Barcelona, and even press them into their own half on occasion. Though Barcelona were the better team, and dominated possession, Arsenal played the game perfectly; they allowed them to try and pass it through them, and then their defenders anticipated the through balls, picked them up and took possession. In the second period, it was two superb passing movements which won the game for Arsenal. And it is probably because Arsenal try to copy Barcelona’s style which made them so well suited to playing them. A team which tries to pass the ball through the middle knows better than any other how to defend against such tactics. It is not to harass their midfielders into giving up possession – that will never work.
So this is how you beat Spain without playing a 10 man defence. You set up a narrow defence, which leaves little space, and you get them to push up the pitch as high as possible. When you are out of possession, the key is to have players back helping out, as four defenders will soon be sliced apart. But unlike England at the weekend, the midfielders should not press too much. It is pointless to press and close down Xavi, or Andres Iniesta. When do they ever give the ball away? The way to take on Barcelona or Spain is first to accept that once they have the ball, they are not going to give it away unless they misplace a pass, or have a shot saved.
They rarely give the ball away in defence or midfield as they play short simple passes. But when they reach the last line of defence, that is when they try to play more complicated passes. It is logical that this is when their passes are more likely to go wrong. What you then need are defenders who are both fast, in case they need to chase someone like David Silva or Leo Messi, and who are good at anticipating the pass, as the best way to win the ball off them is to wait for the throughball, anticipate it and intercept it. Trying to outmuscle them is doomed to failure, as many teams have found.
As your midfielders aren’t wasting their energy trying to win the ball off Xavi or Iniesta, they will have the energy when the ball is won back to get forward. This is key to out passing Spain or Barcelona. When the ball is won back, usually it will be after a period of possession for them, so it is unlikely that more than one player will be in their half of the pitch. Therefore, it is key not to play the ball forward too quickly. Even if you manage to get the ball to the centre forward, he will be isolated. The best thing to do, is to pass the ball slowly around at the back whilst your midfield move forward. By doing this, slowly, in the Barcelona style, you can press them back into their own half. And you don’t need players as good as Xavi or Iniesta, they just need to be able to pass accurately.
If you have, like Arsenal, someone like Theo Walcott, counter attacks can be used, but the player the attack goes through must be fit and hard working to get up and down that quickly. But you can out pass Barcelona, or Spain, even if your individual players aren’t as good as theirs. Though they have outstanding individuals, it is their team play which makes them what they are. Their attacking play is based on collective passing and movement. To beat them, it is simply necessary to create a team whose collective passing and movement is superior. You don’t need the world’s best players for that – just a good system, but most crucially, a commitment to attack and to passing the ball.
