The five up front is akin to the old-style W-M formation including two wingers, a centre forward and two inside forwards – No.8 and No.10.   Certainly, this presents a handful to the opposition backline, back four or five.   This is really a statement about having two completely different shapes depending on whether you are attacking (in possession) or defending (out of possession).   Rather than just tweaking the odd player here and there, and primarily sticking to your 4-2-3-1 or whatever it is, this is having a completely different formation when you are in possession.

It can take time to set up and Barca have this key ingredient of being able to keep the ball.   This is vital.   Other teams have this ability as well but do not commit so many players forward.   Having so many players in advanced positions allows for more flexibility in creating scoring opportunities.   In the first leg of their Champions League semi-final tie with Inter Milan, Barca were able to produce a set play in open play to draw level at 2-2.   They even had the audacity to practice the move in the warm-up before the game.   They are also renowned for playing with a high line.   The opposition must initially break through their gegenpress, another feature of Barcelona’s play.

Gegenpressing is a different type of press where the ball aims to be won back as soon as possession is lost.   It tends to be utilised at the middle to higher end of the pitch and has found many plaudits since Barcelona pioneered this way of playing.   When possession is lost, players in the vicinity swarm around the ball and pressurise the ball-carrier.   The outlets for passing the ball are shut off which doesn’t give the player on the ball a moment and forces the mistake.

When the opposition have secured possession and progressed into the opponent’s defensive half, Barcelona will still be playing with a high line.   The idea being to compress play by reducing the size of the playing area.   A potential disadvantage is that you are creating a bigger open space between the last line of defence and the goalkeeper.   Maintaining pressure on the ball is a key objective for this strategy to be effective.

The defensive shape is a zonal shape.   By squeezing play into a very condensed space, play can be very congested.   It means defenders are more able to apply pressure on the ball.   If I compare the implementation of this type of defence in football to that of basketball, there is one glaring difference.   The compactness of the zonal defence is positioned directly in front of one’s goal in basketball – not in the middle of the court.   There is no space behind the defensive unit.

With any defensive system there is always a weakness.   The open green space behind the defensive line is what Inter Milan will be looking to exploit in their 2^nd leg this evening.