7
The game we are analysing today is the first game of five in the Ok Liga between Barça and Noia (yes, again). It ended with a 4-0 victory, giving Barça the first win in the series.
As a reminder, follow these steps:
- Take a look at the video.
- Read and think about the analysis.
- Match the analysis and the video. It starts at 18:33.
If you have some time I strongly recommend to watch the game actively
We have analysed some clips similar to this one before, but trust me, they are never enough. Not many players truly know how to perform this positional attack, and not many teams use it. Mastering this is quite hard and risky at the same time, but it is also really hard to defend.
Restarting
As soon as Barça restarts the game, we can observe their positioning: the ball in 7, two players on the sides (or trying to be), and the fourth player wide open. According to where the defender is looking, I can assume that the fourth player is strong side wide open.
Positioning
This situation involves specific moves. The goal of this strategy is to draw attention to the ball, allowing the other three players to play without pressure and look for gaps while the defender has to decide not to look at the ball at all. Alabart (Barça Nº33) and Barroso (Barça Nº26) are getting into position for this, trying to enter the box.
Fourth Player
At this stage, Joao Rodrigues (Barça Nº79) enters in an active way. He was balancing and trying to draw a defender out of the box, aiming for a 3 against 3 situation in the box. He maintains a safe distance from his defender and is also being double blocked (blind block).