1. Pushing Too Many Players Forward.
This tactic is one that Barcelona’s manager, Xavi Hernandez has to be mindful of. Indeed, Barcelona is desperately in need of a win today to keep their Champions League dream alive and Inter Milan would most definitely play on the back foot. But that doesn’t mean that Barcelona should go all out in attack because Inter Milan would be hoping they do just that. Barcelona’s current defenders are not known to be fast and athletic except maybe Kounde and Araujo, both of whom are ruled out of today’s game.
Xavi could use Alonso at centre-back if reports are to be believed and if they push too many men forward, they would be leaving Alonso at the mercy of fast Inter Milan players like Martinez and Barella. That technically means more goalscoring opportunities for Inter Milan and the Italians would want nothing more than for something like this to happen.
2. Overdependence On Wide Players Like Dembele And Raphinha.
One thing that limited Barcelona’s attacking play against Inter Milan last time out was their overdependence on the creative abilities of Dembele and Raphinha down both wings. Dembele and Rafinha are two players who can create a goalscoring chance out of nothing from wide areas and after Inter Milan stifled their influence on the game, Barcelona looked clueless.
To avoid such happening again, Xavi must set up in a way that encourages a barrage of attacks from midfield and wide areas. This would mean that Pedri and Gavi/De Jong are tasked with not just keeping the midfield solid and ticking, but making late runs into the box that would destabilise Inter Milan’s defensive structure. Pedri has shown over time that he can shoot from distance, now’s the time to put it on display at Camp Nou.
If Barcelona can do this perfectly, along with the technical brilliance of Dembele and Raphinha down the wings, Inter Milan would be in for a long night today.
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