I will be writing three blog posts about the positions/roles of our front three and how they can work together to benefit the whole team. This is the second post.
I will go through their roles in their respective positions and also what they like to do as a player and how this fits into the formation. These are just thoughts I have had during and after our matches and what I have taken from watching the players play in different roles and since Suárez became a Barça player.
Formation 2
Suárez in the striker role, Messi on the RW and Neymar at his usual LW position.
Neymar, again, is shown on the left-wing.
This is the position he is used in most and is widely known to be most effective from this position. In the previous post, I talked about his ability to dribble and take on players. What I didn’t talk about was his shooting ability, which is very good for a winger. He has scored many long-range goals, the one vs Rayo last season for example, and when playing on the wing, it allows him to cut inside, maybe play a one-two with the striker, and then have a shot on goal.
Neymar’s role as a player don’t really change in this formation and he is still allowed to play the best he possibly can.
Next up is Suárez.
In this formation, Suárez is the main striker. Luis, as everyone knows, is a lethal finisher and will usually finish off any half chance he is given. Usually. Obviously this may not be the case so far this season but he is still adapting to the style of play and I’m confident that he can start banging in goals on a regular basis.
At Liverpool, Suárez was given the freedom to roam across the attack, cutting in from the wings and taking on players and also being in and around the box to be played a killer through ball for him to run onto.
At Barça, the attack consists of a slow passing build-up until a space opens up and it is penetrated rapidly. Not very often will we see a quick attack where Suárez can make a darting run through the defense to be given a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. For me, this is where I can see Suárez trying to adapt his game.
Game after game you can see him making run after run in behind the defense, but he wont get played in because there isn’t enough space on the ground for a pass, whereas at Liverpool, chipped through balls were used a lot more, to overcome the possible lack of space.
Suárez can be used as a main striker, but I think that he can’t be given the freedom that he was given at Liverpool and therefore won’t be as effective. He can score goals, but he won’t be taking on players like he was in the Premier League, unless he comes wide/deep to collect a pass, like he did vs APOEL, for his first Barça goal.
For me, the worst part of this formation is Messi playing on the right-wing.
Don’t get me wrong, I adored watching Messi run at players and score incredible goals from this position a few years ago, but he has changed as a player. Leo has been isolated a few times this season when playing on the right-wing and isolation is the last thing you want from the best player in the world.
Putting Messi on the right-wing can work and of course formations can be switched during a game but in my opinion, Messi is at his best, at this time in his career, playing in the false 9 position, dropping deep, taking on the heart of the opponents defense to give an incredible assist or to score a breathtaking goal.
Of course, Messi can be effective from the right-wing. He’s the best in the world. He could be effective from anywhere. But for a team that has been built around La Pulga, he needs to be in his best position to play to his full abilities, not shifted to the another position to accommodate another player.
Overall, I think this is formation is okay. It is my least favourite but it can work. We saw the old days when Leo would play a one-two with Samuel Eto’o to then curl a long-range effort into the top corner. But we also saw over the last 5 years, Messi running at players through the middle to score incredible goals, a certain goal vs Real Madrid springs to mind…
Thank you for reading part 2 out of 3 of my blog posts about our attacking trio. Be sure to check out my twitter to see when the final part is published!
Part 2 of 3
Gifs made by myself
Line-up of front three made at lineupbuilder.com
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