The master of risk management: Tito’s defensive changes
The one thing that has to be stated is that Barça already struggled with defensive issues last season. It’s safe to say that Pep’s Barça struggled with the exact same problems that Tito’s Barça now struggles with; defending counter attacks. However, Pep attacked this issue with a different solution than Tito has.
Pep Guardiola addressed the defensive issues by moving to a formation of 3-4-3, with Sergio Busquets in a crucial role in the midfield. The idea behind this was to add one more man in the midfield to cover the defense line and prevent the opponent from getting to attack directly against the vulnerable back three. This, however, left a huge space to exploit on the wings, as we saw against Chelsea or Real Madrid. What also happened was that there was a huge space behind our defenders, and with only three men at the back, we were simply outnumbered.
Tito has done things differently. He did give the 3-4-3 a shot, but as it failed to impress, he moved back to the more traditional backline of four. He saw a need for a change, and didn’t hesitate to do what had to be done.
Tito’s philosophy regarding the defense could clearly be seen in the beginning of the season. Barça was suffering from many injuries, with both Piqué and Puyol out. Although it’s only speculation, one could think that Pep would’ve attacked this issue by playing with his 3-4-3. Tito didn’t. The first league Clásico is a good example.
Tito put Adriano in central defense, a man who had never played there before. But Tito knew what he was doing. Adriano has the pace and aggressive attributes that a Barça center back needs. And apart from a few positional mistakes, Adriano did a great job. That match was clear proof of the fact that Tito prefers a traditional 4-3-3, or some variation of it.
And perhaps Tito has to prefer a backline of four. That has been the only way to be able to balance with two attacking fullbacks, Jordi Alba and Dani Alves. Tito’s ability to make tactical variations has however been seen in the Champions League match against Milan, as he allowed Dani Alves to attack more freely, with Alba staying back with the two CBs. This has shown that Tito is not obsessed with one tactic or formation alone, he is also willing to make changes, and as he knows the players from his four years as Pep’s assistant, he can make those changes and utilize each player’s potential in an admirable way.
But problems have continued to persist. What has caused the problems with Tito’s Barça is the lack of defensive support from the midfield. With the traditional backline of four, from which Alves and Alba make their runs forward, Busquets plays really deep in the midfield, allowing the attacking midfielders to roam forward. This could be viewed as a good thing when speaking of attack, but it also leaves our midfielders really high up the pitch when they’re supposed to track back and defend. This problem has been even more evident in the absence of some of our key defenders, as we’ve had to play with Song in defense. Song is not the fastest player on the planet, and often tends to drop back a bit too early to cover up for his lack of pace. This leaves a huge space between the defense and midfield, and allows the opponent to attack against the defense alone. The attacking fullbacks added to this have caused us some serious trouble. This is one of the main reasons Tito trusted Adriano in the central defense ahead of Song and Busquets in the first league Clásico.
So all in all, both Pep’s and Tito’s Barça struggle with the open space they leave for the opponent to exploit. With Pep, that space was often behind the defense; with Tito, that space is between the defense and the midfield. Against AC Milan in the second leg, Tito attacked this problem by “going back to basics”. He used a backline of four (which was often a backline of three with Alves roaming forward), and played Busquets in his typical role. But the formation wasn’t the thing.
Tito had advised the center backs to be really aggressive. You could see Mascherano and Piqué really high up the pitch on many occasions. Sometimes, they were even defending in the opponent’s half. Surely, there was a risk of Milan exploiting the space left behind, there was a risk of Barça going back to the problems we faced with Pep, but Tito had thought this through as well. With the aggressive center backs and the compact midfield of three (of which all stayed in the midfield instead of playing as ‘false strikers’), the space between defense and midfield was almost non-existent. With the gaps between Barça’s players being very small, they were able to pressure Milan’s players and prevent them from making the accurate through balls behind the defense.
So as Tito’s tactics can be considered risky, it can also be said that Tito is the master of risk management. Instead of covering the space behind the defenders, instead of hesitating and playing it safe, he was bold. His tactics made sure, that although there was space behind our defense, the opponent wasn’t allowed to play the ball there. This aggressive pressure and compactness was often missed when both Pep’s Barça and Tito’s Barça struggled defensively. And it was Tito who brought it back, while being in New York. And now that he is back from his treatment, it’s obvious that Barça must continue doing the same; keeping the gaps small, allowing the opponent no space or time to build up.
As it still remains difficult to judge Tito’s time as a manager due to his health problems, credit has to be given. Tito has managed to find solutions to the problems that have been there for a long time, not to mention, he’s done all this with many players injured and while being in New York to receive cancer treatment. Many hail Pep as a genius, which he certainly is, but Tito is exactly the same. And most importantly, Tito is a genius when it comes to risk management
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