The attack lasted 56 seconds. The ball ran over 22 stations without the opponent getting it under control. Then Lionel Messi shot the ball into the goal. That goal of FC Barcelona to 2-0 against Naples last Saturday says a lot about the condition of a team.
Because what appeared to be a classic Barcelona goal – eternal possession of the ball, many passes, Messi in the end – embodied less the Barça ideal than the Barça of the present. One that strives to play like it once did and fails.
When Messi takes the ball on the right level with the corner of the penalty area, he is: alone. When the first Neapolitans arrive and meet Messi, he is: alone. When he finally crawls for the ball while lying on the ground, surrounded by five defenders, there is at least one teammate, Luis Suárez, only: He watches Messi without moving.
SPIEGEL called the goal a “world-class goal”. Certainly the way Messi dribbled through Napoli’s ranks was reminiscent of the solo goals he used to score regularly, and only him. Even if he didn’t stumble back then; could rely entirely on his class and not, as now, had to fight the ball into the goal.
A goal as an expression of a problem
But the hit was also an expression of a tactical problem. FC Barcelona can no longer get the most out of the superstar. The team no longer provides their star player with the necessary space. She lacks a plan. And so her dependence on Messi increases, now she is almost as big as in the Argentine national team.
This is only partly due to Messi himself. The Argentine continues to produce amazing numbers, with an average of 1.4 goals or assists per 90 minutes this season. However, Messi only undercut this value once in the past ten years, in 2018.
At the same time, the team’s dependence on their star has recently continued to increase. In this season he was directly involved in 54.3 percent of all Barcelona goals. In the previous year it was 52.9 percent. Before: 44.7; 41, 5; 37.6. The last time Messi had a higher share than now was in his overseason 2012. But Messi was 24 years old then, he was more athletic, fitter.
“The best years wasted”
The British Independent recently wrote that Barca had “wasted Messi’s best years”. When you consider that the best footballer of his generation, maybe the history of his sport since he was 27, hasn’t won the Champions League, you don’t want to contradict that. Messi’s contract expires next summer.
The missing master plan around Messi is linked to the man who determines the tactics: the coach. At the beginning of the season it was Ernesto Valverde. At the beginning of the year the club, although leaders in Spain, parted ways with Valverde; his successor, Quique Setién, could not have improved Barça in the table. His mandate was probably different: it was about Barca playing again, as one had expected from the team for the four years under Pep Guardiola from 2009 to 2012. Setién, although never previously under contract with FC Barcelona, is considered a great supporter of the Barça school, a Cruyffian.
The idea: With a lot of possession, but also many chances to score; with passes that should lead into the opponent’s penalty area and with a Messi to refine them, Barcelona should become Barcelona again.
There is a lack of opportunities to play
Under Valverde, Barcelona were often a bit more passive. It was also countered once. Under Setién, the possession numbers have since increased significantly. The players keep short distances from one another, they keep the ball in their ranks for a long time and can directly apply pressure after losing the ball.
However, that of taking chances no longer works so well.
For ball possession teams like Barcelona, it is crucial that not only pass a lot, but also sprint a lot. This doesn’t mean tempo dribbles, but rather “dummy runs”, runs that pull opponents along and open up spaces. In the Barça documentary “Take the Ball, Pass the Ball”, striker Thierry Henry says that coach Pep Guardiola had annoyed him by repeatedly starting the same sprint. It was clear that Henry would not receive a passport as a result. It was about creating space for fellow players.
In the heyday of the Catalans in this millennium, between 2009 and 2011, these runs were everywhere. David Villa and Pedro had just perfected it. They sprinted diagonally from the wing into the center of the box to make room for Messi.
Anyone who recently watched FC Barcelona games under Setién hardly found these dummy runs. The elf lacks depth, they also lack the breadth to equalize the opposing defense. The game is curled up in the center and Barça have to hope Messi has one of his moments. There are already rumors that Setién, 61, will have to leave after the season. Should Barcelona not win the Champions League, the club would be without a title for the first time since 2008.
In the quarter-finals against FC Bayern, Barça will now face a team that is superior to them in many ways. Which has a plan that works well for attacking, in which each player not only pays attention to their own position, but also to that of their teammates. In which the point is sometimes only to start a sprint to create space for a teammate. In addition, there is the athletic advantage that Bayern have: the team is faster. More robust. Header stronger.
At the press conference before the game, Setién talked his team strongly. Bayern are an excellent team, that is. But that also applies to his team. But what are the real advantages of Barcelona? That the team is experienced; technically strong enough to let Bavarian pressing run nowhere. That she doesn’t allow many goals. And of course Lionel Messi. On a good day that’s still enough, no matter who Barcelona’s opponents are.
The only question that remains is whether this Friday will be a good day.
