Is three at the back the solution for Barcelona?

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Should Quique Setien try the system again?

‘Ah, I wonder what we’re going to see, three at the back, four? A two-man attack?’

Quique Setién’s appointment as Barça boss was met with considerable trepidation from journalists and pundits. Many questioned his quality, and the fact that he had limited coaching ability at the highest level. For avid fans of La Liga and of Barça, however, the appointment meant more. Yes, Setién had not coached a club the size of Barcelona, but he had made his name managing well-drilled possession-based teams, adhering to his interpretation of Cryuffist football. Quique was known as a bit of a purist, a man with a plucky resolve who did not budge from his principles.

All seemed well.

And it was. Setién did well in his first game, a somewhat tepid 1–0 win at home against Granada. He employed a 3–5–2 in possession, which then became a 4–3–3 without it; Sergi Roberto was deployed as the third centre-back with Ansu Fati as a makeshift wing-back. It worked well enough that game, Barça were dominant on the ball and solid without it. In the next few games, though, the system began to malfunction, if you will. Barcelona were torrid against Ibiza (2–1 win) and were equally bad at the Mestalla, losing 2–0 on the day.

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The 3–5–2 that had worked well against Granada was now proving stifling. In both games, Barca’s play was static and there was a lack of creativity in both midfield and in attack. This was especially evident against Valencia. Despite having 74% of possession, the midfield trio of Arthur, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong (which is very strong on paper) struggled to produce anything substantive. The blaugranas often had six players behind the ball with no clear runner through the middle. While the addition of Arturo Vidal, against Valencia, did amend this to an extent, it was too little too late, as Los Che had already taken control of the game by then. Barça looked a lot like Setién’s Betis at the end of his spell there; they had a lot of the ball and not much else.

Sergi Roberto started as the right centre-back in a back three under Setién at Barça

After the defeat at the Mestalla, Setién discarded the 3–5–2 and reverted back to the ‘status-quo’ 4–3–3. This translated into a few things. Firstly, it moved Ansu Fati back to the left. He was tasked with holding width on the left hand side instead of Jordi Alba. Secondly, it made Setien drop Roberto for the more athletic Nélson Semedo. With Messi often dropping deep, Semedo was asked to bomb upfield on the right hand side. As a consequence, Semedo has had an outsized influence on Barcelona’s wing play and has displayed an attacking nous that he never did in two full seasons under Ernesto Valverde. With the addition of Martin Braithwaite, the 4–3–3 has become the norm. Initially, Setién seemed unsure of whether to delegate the entire workload of the left-side of attack to Ansu, but with the addition of Braithwaite it seems as if he’s going to be the first choice there.

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To combat the lack of runners in the final third that he faced with the 3–5–2, Quique has deployed an advanced interior (or two) who looks to break the lines and be a nuisance in the 18-yard box. In the absence of Vidal, Frenkie was the high interior, tasked with leading the midfield (and often the attacking line). When Vidal returned, the coach asked him to move into the right half-space, to cover for Messi, with Frenkie doing the same on the other wing. Till now, this has worked well enough. Nevertheless, with the right personnel, it is entirely possible that the Cantabrian tactician could return to the 3–5–2 or 3–4–1–2 and could success with it.

Setién’s teams often play a brand of defensive possession football; they defend by keeping the ball – his Betis side is a prime example. This defensive possession is then coupled with verticality through midfield to maintain an attacking threat. It is not a cautious approach however. Setién’s sides often play with a dangerously high line (his defensive record is a testament to this). A three-man setup allows him to maintain some defensive security, to offset the voyeurism up ahead.

When Quique lined up Barça in the 3–5–2, the biggest hurdle he ran into was the lack of verticality through midfield; which is integral to his defensive position approach. At Betis, it was Lo Celso who provided it, at Las Palmas it was Jonathan. He doesn’t have a true box to box eight at his disposal, at Barça. Well, Aleñá was there, but that’s a different story. With the return of Aleñá and/or investment in the middle of the park, the 61-year-old boss could combat. With two deeper pivots, such as Frenkie and Busquets, the advanced midfielder would be able to play off the strikers and allow them to make runs, whilst receiving in advanced areas.

Giovani Lo Celso thrived as the advanced interior in Setién’s Betis, a profile to occupy that role which Barcelona does not possess at present.

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This 3–4–1–2 could also, of course, work with Messi as the advanced midfielder or 10 and two pivots behind him. This would do two things. Firstly, it would allow Messi to play in his favoured position and would give him the license to roam and create. Secondly, with the possible addition of a striker (like Lautaro Martínez) it would ease Suárez and Messi’s defensive workload, especially in central areas. Notwithstanding, for this formation to work, Barça would need to either invest in a striker or adequately prepare Griezmann to play as an out and out striker.

That said, and most importantly, Setién would need the addition of a quality wing-back or two. With the wing-backs being the only outlet of width, a lot of onus falls on them. With Alba not being what he was and Semedo still somewhat unreliable, Barça would need heavy investment in these areas. However, that is true both in a back three and a back four. Full-backs are just far too integral to the modern game. Quality is always welcome. Actually, quality is always needed.

A well functioning three-man system is a pleasure to watch. Cryuff himself would agree. With the right mix of investment and tactical discipline, Setién might just oversee a successful transition. It all remains to be seen. Now, though, we have a virus to deal with first. The first battle to win before competition returns with the subsequent impact on sport.

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