Celta Vigo 4-1 Barcelona, Post-Match Reaction: 3 Things We Learned
Barcelona lost everything on Wednesday night against Celta: an 18-game unbeaten streak dating back to last season, along with the 4-game perfect record of this current campign; more than that, the Blaugrana lost the La Liga lead and now sit only in fourth place in the standings. It was a horrible night, and here's a few takeaways from it:
1. Mathieu is not a left-back, and Sergi Roberto should forget about being a midfielder. Of course, where they play on the pitch depends on Luis Enrique's decision based on what he thinks it's better for his team and each player. Almost nobody played well against Celta, especially the defense, but the terrible performances of Mathieu and Roberto in positions that clearly don't suit their abilities as footballers have to show Enrique where those guys should be. Because of the injuries and rotations, it's hard to criticize Lucho for his decisions on this specific game, but moving forward, if/when everyone is available, it's clear that those two guys can't play where they did in Vigo.
2. Barça should absolutely sign Nolito. The winger/striker has been absolutely sensational so far, and even though Iago Aspas got a brace on Wednesday, his goals only happened because of Nolito's brains and technique. He's a truly great player, who raised hell against Dani Alves. I know that we'll look for a midfielder in January to replace Rafinha, but those €24 million that Celta want for Nolito are worthy. He's absolutely good enough to be a Barça player, especially as a backup to MSN. He is awesome.
3. Luis Enrique should continue experimenting with different schemes. If there's one good thing to take away from the disaster that we experienced on Wednesday is that the 4-2-3-1 with Lionel Messi as a playmaker behind a main striker is a very good option to use. It's hard to figure out how to fit the current pieces in this tactical system, but that's the job for a coach, I guess. This formation was very successful against Levante last weekend, and it did create Barça's only goal at Celta. Lucho also had success against Atlético Madrid a few weeks ago bringing back the diamond that didn't work last season. He put that on the back burner until the right opportunity to use it came around, and it did. Same thing with the 4-2-3-1: he was forced to use it, but it worked. Changing a scheme doesn't necessarily mean changing the style of play, it just means messing up the positions in a good way to surprise opponents. Keep doing it, Lucho.
Source: Renato Goncalves http://ift.tt/1NVe88p
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