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Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona is reaching a new stage in its evolution after an uneven defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. Since then, Barcelona have made two of their best performances of the entire season against Sevilla, twice. Sure, it’s the same opponent, but it’s one that beat them 2-0 not too long ago and follows them in the league by a handful of points.
Part of the reason has been a change to a 3-5-2 system that can easily be adapted to a 4-3-3. It has benefited most of the team, although it has been to the detriment of Antoine Griezmann. The Frenchman was in good shape this year, but Koeman has put him on the bench for the good of the team.
The only personnel change of the team that lost 4-1 to PSG, which they defeated Sevilla 3-0, was the loss of Griezmann by Óscar Mingueza. A defensive change on paper has resulted in a more balanced team.
While described as a 3-5-2, Barcelona’s system is truly a hybrid that can morph into a 4-3-3 at any time. The three-man line of Clément Lenglet, Gerard Piqué and Mingueza is supported by two wingers: Jordi Alba and Sergiño Dest. However, with the ball, Dest can advance even further, until he plays more like an absolute right-winger. That allows Minugeza to push up as a right back. Piqué then has Lenglet in addition to him, forming a traditional two-center association typical of a four-man line.
Alba will push as much as he normally does when he is a left back, but Lenglet cannot advance like Mingueza. Usually, he will stay behind to help Piqué regain the numbers on defense.
Frenkie de Jong operates as an area-to-area midfielder, helping the team defend but also pushing up and making center runs. Messi plays practically like a # 10, capable of going back a bit and looking for runners with his passes. Ousmane Dembélé played from both sides against Sevilla, making runs towards the center. His rhythm allows him to also become a target for the Argentine’s passes.
Pedri goes further to help Alba on the attacking side, as there is no equivalent to Dest on the left side. Busquets appears to be a beneficiary of the system, looking more comfortable as a single pivot dictating the game than asking to cover ground on a double pivot.
It’s a shame that this leaves Griezmann without a place in the starting eleven. Even from the bench, the French star was effective for the Catalans. He expertly helped draw Piqué’s last gasp against Sevilla and put in a shift of about an hour, including overtime.
With 63 minutes to go and needing at least one goal, Koeman brought in Griezmann for Dest. Dembélé, then, was lined up as a traditional right-back and Griezmann was the team’s main forward. This was basically the 4-3-3 from before. It worked because Barcelona needed to pull everything forward and Sevilla mostly parked the bus. But would it be effective from the start?
That leaves Koeman with the dilemma of whether to continue his 3-5-2, which appears to benefit the team, or whether he wants to bring Griezmann back to the starting lineup. That also opens questions for the future in terms of team planning.
