Should Ronald Koeman switch to 4-3-3 in Barcelona?

When Ronald Koeman arrived at Barcelona, ​​one of the decisions he made immediately was to change the formation from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1.

So far the new system has had mixed results with good performances in the Champions League but an inability to produce La Liga wins, with the loss to Atlético de Madrid on Sunday reducing their record to a miserable 3-2- 3.

For Barcelona, ​​make no mistake, this defeat was momentous and confirmed the need for significant changes in the future. The pressure is on Koeman to show that he can take responsibility for problems that are the result of decisions he has made himself, and he can start by considering the benefits of a line-up change.

Is a return to 4-3-3 the way to go?

Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Getty Images

Looking back, Barcelona’s use of the 4-3-3 took off with the association of Messi, Suárez and Neymar. Under coach Luis Enrique, this system produced one of the most prolific seasons in the club’s history, as he won the treble and accumulated 94 points in a very close La Liga season.

MSN scored a total of 122 goals in all competitions. In a way, since Neymar left for PSG in the summer of 2017, Barcelona have been looking for a way to get back to that form, but have never found it, despite winning two more titles with Ernesto Valverde.

If Koeman went back to 4-3-3 it wouldn’t be a small decision. For forwards and midfielders, their responsibilities would fundamentally change, and it should be accompanied by a tactical vision.

So far this season, Koeman has used the formation once, and it was also the only time Messi was asked to come off the bench. This is not a small detail.

In the first half, when Messi was not playing, Koeman used three forwards from Ansu Fati, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele. The three in midfield were Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. This formation and combination of players looked formidable from the start.

The forwards came out the doors firing. The shot should have been more clinical, but from a coach’s perspective, the conclusion of this half should have been the team’s effectiveness in playing with pace and generating quality opportunities in goal. Dembélé opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a striking left-handed laser that almost opened a hole in the back of the net.

Much like the Atleti game, Barcelona was exploited on the counterattack just before the break, giving up the tie. Despite this, the 4-3-3 we saw was confident and full of life. It didn’t fix the defensive problems, but it gave the team a chance to show its potential on the offensive side.

During the break we learned that Ansu Fati suffered a knee injury, and Messi went on to give his best performance of the season, leading the team to an eventual 5-2 victory. To complicate the analysis, the impressive second half was achieved under a 4-4-2.

If Koeman chooses to switch formations, he will no doubt look back at this game for information.

Photo by David S. Bustamante / Soccrates / Getty Images

The debate over the change to a 4-3-3 cannot be made without remembering its complicated history in recent years.

Valverde, in many ways devoid of original ideas, essentially continued what Luis Enrique started in terms of form. Quique Setien followed in his footsteps. This period of time included two La Liga titles, but was also marred by staggering shame in the Champions League: Rome, Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Frankly, he also didn’t serve the team’s biggest signings during this time. Coutinho looked like a shell of himself. Dembélé showed some promise, but underperformed overall, in combination with injuries that limited his appearances. Griezmann, unsurprisingly, actually looked better in this lineup than he does today, but he was still not as effective as he was at Atlético de Madrid.

Still, that doesn’t mean Barcelona should be afraid to try again. There is evidence that Dembele and Griezmann could thrive on the space it provides. Coutinho and Pedri would be big questions as to where they fit in, but I could see Pedri playing in midfield, while the Brazilian takes the role on the left wing.

The biggest obstacle would be how to play Messi and Griezmann at the same time. It could be argued that to accommodate both a 4-4-2 would be needed.

Would it be wise for Barcelona to change formations from one game to another? At this point I’d say it’s worth a try, because the 4-2-3-1 now officially doesn’t work consistently, and using different formations would give more players opportunities to play. With the list of injuries growing, this may be more of a necessity than a choice.

A new line-up means that Riqui Puig could not only start playing, but could take on a big role. Tactics and form aside, Riqui brings energy and a high level of motivation. Carles Aleñá could also receive a shot under a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Whether they were Ronald Koeman’s first choices is now irrelevant. They are the next men on the list, and there is a lot of season ahead. Time to see what they can do.

The good news going forward is that the schedule is relatively friendly for the rest of 2020. Barcelona are in a good position in their Champions League group, and La Liga matches are considerably less difficult with Osasuna, Cádiz and Pick up next.

Now is the time for Koeman to be open-minded, experiment, and give all players a fair chance.

Although the season appears to be slipping away, Barcelona should acknowledge that this is one of the most competitive races in a long time. Points will continue to fall to the top of the table. Now it’s Barcelona’s job to be ready to take advantage by fighting for three points, one game at a time, in the coming weeks.