Ernesto Valverde’s three steps to reasserting Barcelona’s La Liga dominance

Barcelona will face Sevilla in a top of the table clash on Saturday night.

The Andalucians will actually go into the match in first place, with the Catalans one point behind them in the standings. This puts a very heavy onus on Barça to get the win, and there was already a heavy onus on Barça to get the win because they inexplicably have not won in their previous four La Liga outings.

A draw away to Valencia in their last game was a good result, but given it came after a run of games where they drew with Athletic Club and Girona at home and then lost away to Leganés, it cannot be viewed as a true success. Barcelona threw their lead at the top of La Liga away and have failed to take advantage of their rivals slipping up.

So now they need to win, both to get their domestic season back on track but also to reclaim top spot from Sevilla (and possibly also Atlético Madrid, Real Madrid and Alavés – all of whom could have moved ahead of the Blaugrana before kick-off). How can they do this? How can they avoid the pitfalls that have dogged them recently? We’ve got three solutions:

1. Start in a 4-4-1-1

Obviously the unofficial Barcelona formation is 4-3-3. Everyone knows that’s what you’re “supposed” to play at the Camp Nou; but incorporating Leo Messi into the system without unbalancing the side defensively is difficult.

Ostensibly Messi is a “right-winger” but he obviously doesn’t play there, he drifts everywhere and dominates the game as he should. But this leaves the right-flank open to counter-attack. Ivan Rakitic thus drifts out there to help cover; but then with Philippe Coutinho driving forward Barcelona’s midfield ends up just being Sergio Busquets isolated.

That’s why Barcelona suffered so much on the break. And that’s why Valverde reverted to 4-4-1-1 against Spurs and Valencia, solidifying Barça’s midfield. Valverde needs to stick with this shape against Sevilla, even though there must be a temptation to chase the win with a more offensive formation – but managing counter-attacks will be key to that.

Sevilla ripped Real Madrid to bits on the break, winning 3-0. If Barcelona don’t dominate the ball and guard against transition attacks (with the likes of Arthur, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets securing midfield), then the Blaugrana could be made to suffer. 4-4-1-1 allows for that, and places Messi in a central role where he doesn’t hurt the team shape defensively yet can impose his genius when Barça has the ball. A pragmatic yet ideal solution to a tricky problem.

2. Manage Luis Suárez

The other big bonus of 4-4-1-1 is that it places Messi very close to Luis Suárez. The Uruguayan’s form is one of the major issues for Barcelona this season, in all honesty it might be the most pressing one given that if a team’s striker is profligate and unproductive it can be very hard for such a side to generate a stream of easy, reliable chances.

Which is why it should worry Valverde that Suárez has thus far been profligate and unproductive. Suárez has scored no goals across Barcelona’s winless run, only really playing well against Valencia (and Spurs in the Champions League).

In fact Suárez’s inability to replicate the threat he usually provides is largely why Barcelona have dropped so many points. Attacks work their way through the Barça side and when it comes to Suárez’s involvement he’s either in the wrong position or uses the ball incorrectly with a heavy touch, errant pass or most commonly, a run not made, that the attack dies.

READ MORE: How should Barcelona replace Luis Suárez?

The only solution to this is management on the part of Ernest Valverde. Suárez can still be brilliant, but that brilliance now only comes in bursts. Barça have three huge games in a row, Sevilla at the weekend, then Inter in the Champions League before El Clásico next week. Suárez cannot play all three, he’ll be exhausted about halfway through Inter. Realistically he can only play two.

So which two? That’s up to Valverde, but managing Suárez is one of his major keys to finally getting a victory. Does he play vs. Sevilla, rest against Inter and be ready for the Clásico? Or does he rest against Sevilla in order to be ready for a big double header? Maybe Valverde could start him against Sevilla but withdraw him on the hour, then use him off the bench against Inter and from the start again vs. Madrid?

There are a multitude of options, but Ernesto Valverde must not shy away from the fact that Suárez cannot play three games in eight days anymore, not at a high level. Moreover if he’s not performing in a game, Valverde must not hesitate to bring him off. The Uruguayan has a stellar reputation, but he cannot be immune to substitution if Barça want to prosper again.

3. Use Ousmane Dembélé and Malcom

Barcelona are a slow side. Their best players don’t really have pace. In fact one could argue they only have five players one would deem as genuinely quick. And of that five, two (Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo) are full-backs. There’s also Philippe Coutinho in midfield. This leaves just Ousmane Dembélé and Malcom as quick players in attack.

Yet these are the two players whom Valverde seems most resistant to using. Sure, he started the season with Dembélé playing a prominent role, but even though the Frenchman scored five goals to begin the season (more than anyone save Messi) at the first sign of trouble Dembélé was dropped to bring in an extra midfielder. And Malcom? If you said that Valverde had forgotten the club signed him, you’d be believed.

What makes it all so comical is that during this winless run the players, the players who could have had the biggest impact in attack with Dembélé and Malcom. Both are young, fast and skilled with the ball at his feet. Dembélé is even in scoring rhythm having bagged hugely important goals against Sevilla (winning the Supercopa de España), Valladolid and Real Sociedad (winning two tricky away games).

If Valverde wants to get back to winning ways then these two men have to feature. Not necessarily from the start (although Malcom works hard enough defensively that you could maybe play him instead of Rakitic in the 4-4-1-1) but as subs off the bench. Against Spurs, for instance, the game was crying out for some added pace in attack. And had Dembélé or Malcom come on then the Blaugrana would have ripped Spurs to bits on the break; as it is they just about scraped a win thanks to Messi pulling a miracle out of his back pocket. Against Valencia neither featured and the game thus petered out into a draw.

There will come a time in the second half vs. Sevilla where someone who has pace, skill and a true eye for goal will be needed off the bench. Bringing Ousmane Dembélé (or Malcom) on for Luis Suárez around the hour mark would likely give Barça the burst of energy needed to either power themselves to victory or extend a lead they already have by ruthlessly counter-attacking at pace.

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