Teams Exploit Tactical Weaknesses in Barcelona's Defense
Barcelona has suffered defeats in their last two matches, with a tactical adjustment inspired by Harry Kane being utilized by various teams to create scoring opportunities against them this season.
While emerging strikers are often advised to focus on defensive lines and maintain an onside position, some professional forwards strategically position themselves offside to capitalize on scoring chances later in the play.
Why Strikers Are Standing 'Offside'
Recently, PSG defeated Barcelona in the Champions League, with striker Goncalo Ramos scoring a dramatic winner in the 90th minute. Reflecting on the goal, Ramos stated, "I think a lot about beating a high line. Against Barcelona, there is a video of Harry Kane from two years ago, and he executed a play similar to mine that resulted in a goal."
What did he mean by this? Both Ramos and Kane successfully scored against Barcelona's high defensive line by initially positioning themselves offside, a tactic that often confounds defenders.
Thomas Muller has previously discussed this approach to positioning. The veteran Bayern Munich forward, who recently joined Vancouver Whitecaps, noted, "It is easier to defend a player who comes towards the ball because the striker is in front of them, allowing defenders to see and mark them. However, when a player is behind you, you must turn, which complicates maintaining your offside line."
This unconventional positioning disrupts central defenders and diminishes their ability to effectively manage opposing strikers.
Momentum Prevents Barcelona from Recovering
Barcelona typically aims to catch opponents offside, leading their defenders to face the ball and push up the pitch. In their recent match against PSG and a prior encounter with Bayern, players positioned themselves facing Barcelona's goal, ready to exploit any defensive gaps.
This tactic made it challenging for Barcelona's defense to recover, as they had to turn and accelerate to get back into position. The issue is exacerbated by the strikers gaining a head start from their offside positions. In the cases of Ramos and Kane, wide players like Achraf Hakimi and Serge Gnabry had the speed to break past Barcelona's defense.
In both instances, the ball was quickly switched to a faster wide player running behind the defense. Importantly, these players were onside when the pass was made, while the slower central striker created uncertainty by being in an offside position. This strategy enables teams to score against Barcelona's high defensive line, even without a particularly fast striker, by prioritizing quicker wide players in onside positions.
Getting Back Onside to Score
When employing this tactic, both strikers moved toward the back post instead of approaching the ball, which allowed them to time their movements into an onside position as the wide players advanced. Their positioning toward the back post facilitated a pass into space, enabling them to receive the ball with time to maneuver it away from the goalkeeper.
From their initial offside positions, the strikers were able to transition to onside, maintaining an advantage to receive the ball uncontested for a clear shot at goal.
The similarities between the analyzed goals are striking, but this scheme is not limited to just these two matches. Alarmingly, Barcelona has conceded similar opportunities against teams like Levante, Rayo Vallecano, and Sevilla this season, with Sevilla defeating them 4-1 on Sunday.
Given the effectiveness of this tactic, it is likely that more teams will begin to adopt it against Barcelona and other teams that employ high defensive lines.