Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona [2-3] Tactical Analysis – 2019/20

Hello and welcome to TalkBarca. Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona ended with 3-2 scoreline with Barca getting knocked out of the Super Copa De Espana. We dominated the game right from the start and created several good chances. We couldn’t reach the Final of Super Copa even after putting such a good display. So, let’s start Tactical Analysis of Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona and see where things got bad for us. But before we start our Tactical Analysis, make sure to check our Full Match Review by clicking here.

• Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona Full Match Review.

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona – Tactical Analysis:

Lineup:

First of all, I would like to review our starting lineup as part of our Tactical Analysis. So, Valverde chose, Neto in the Goalkeeping slot as Ter Stegen was injured. Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, and Alba were our Back 4 in the defensive line. To be honest, I was actually very happy to see Umtiti in place of Lenglet as he can inject extra pace and physicality in our defense. Busquets, De Jong, and Vidal started in the midfield which surely the best trio we had for this fixture. And finally, as usual, Messi, Suarez, and Griezmann lead the forward line for Barcelona.

Personally, I think Valverde did a pretty good job with our lineup. For the first time in several months, he chose a lineup that we can agree with. It’s a pretty strong lineup on paper and shows our mentality to reach the Final of Super Copa De Espana. This lineup right here shows that Valverde played his strongest team because he wanted to win this game. So, we at least had the right mentality to go into this game. So, where did things got bad for Barcelona? Let’s see!

Chances Missed:

We missed several easy and crucial chances. A team as defensive as Atletico does not open up spaces every now and then for you to exploit them. You can only create so many chances against big clubs and every chance missed is a step back in the race to win. Having said that, we missed several chances. Obviously, Oblak was a beast in the box and a goalkeeper of his caliber is really hard to beat. However, I feel as if our forwards didn’t put much effort into converting those chances because those were really simple chances.

Griezmann got in a one-on-one situation with Oblak twice and he tried to chip him both times as if Oblak doesn’t know what he’s gonna do. Oblak is a really tall keeper and it’s really hard to chip someone with his height even if we ignore his qualities for an instance. Moreover, Oblak knows Griezmann very well from his Atletico days. He has faced Griezmann countless times in training. So, I personally think that anything could have been good for Griezmann except the chip.

Suarez missed a couple of easy chances. Suarez hit the target on 2 occasions but Oblak denied him. Oblak also saved a shot from Messi. The most important thing to note here is that Suarez’s shots and Messi’s shot went right into the hands of the target as they went for power and quickness instead of placement.

VAR:

VAR played a major part in the game as it denied us 2 clear goals. We are not going into the detail of any VAR decisions at the moment. We have covered a complete article on “How VAR Robbed Barcelona Of A Glorious Victory Against Atletico Madrid”, make sure to check it out for further details. This article is about Tactical Analysis and we only have to focus on things related to tactics. So, you might be thinking what’s the tactical importance of this section then? You will get that in a minute.

Atletico felt like everything isn’t lost yet when the VAR denied the first goal. It was still 1-1 and Atletico continued their game in the same manner without much pressure. Atletico would have been under high pressure if the goal was awarded in favor of Barcelona and it would have completely changed the mentality and tactics of the game. Barcelona scored another goal and made it 1-2. Lastly, VAR denied us another beautifully worked goal from a set-piece. At this point, Atletico started putting effort into a comeback because they knew that Barcelona will tear them apart if they continue playing like that.

Most importantly, the referee stopped the play on 4 different occasions in the 2nd half to consult with VAR which takes at least 1 minute of the game. Moreover, there were several stoppages for substitutions and fouls as well. Even after such a disrupted 45 minutes of play, the referee decided to add 4 additional minutes. 4 additional minutes only? Is it a joke? It should have been at least 6 additional minutes considering how much time was wasted.

Poor Defense:

We were extremely poor defensively and the 3-2 scoreline clearly shows our disaster in the backline. I am actually furious with the way our defenders played the game. Atletico scored 3 goals and all those goals were the courtesy of schoolboy errors from our defenders. We were playing with a high line and our defenders were not sharp on counter-attacks. The more I think about those goals, the more I hate our defenders and their mentality. For the sake of our Tactical Analysis, we will cover each goal separately showing you exactly how our defenders ruined a perfect night for us.

Goal # 1:

We conceded the first goal in the first 20 seconds of the second half. It was a very quick move and our defenders couldn’t cope with it. As you can see in the picture, Pique, Busquets, and Vidal were marking Jao Felix who got out of there with a brilliant skill move and passed it to Correa. Exploiting the space ahead of Umtiti, Correa then provided a through ball to Koke who got the time to control it and placed it in the bottom left corner. First of all, Pique was out of position leaving huge space behind. Then, our remaining defenders, especially Roberto, didn’t close down those spaces and Koke had all the time in the world to control the ball before shooting it.

Goal # 2:

Morata got the ball in the center of the pitch and Pique charged at him in hope of winning the ball but failed miserably. Roberto was already in opposition’s half and tried to rush back. Morata saw the run of Vitolo and made a perfect through ball in the open space left behind by Pique. Vitolo got himself in a 1-on-1 situation with Neto who rushed at him and conceded a penalty. Morata takes the penalty and scores by sending Neto on the wrong side of the shot.

Goal # 3:

Just a few minutes later, Atletico got an almost identical chance. Morata received the ball in the center and once again, Pique charged at him and lost the battle. This time, it’s Correa who was making a forward run and Morata made a through pass in the empty space. Correa collected the ball, carried it forward, and attempted a shot. Once again, Neto was rushed out to stop the effort but this he gets a touch on the ball to slow it down. However, the trajectory of the ball remained in the direction of the goal. Sergio Roberto tried to clear it but the ball was already in the net. This goal knocked Barcelona out of Super Copa De Espana.

Poor Substitutions:

Substitutes are one of the most important parts of the games in terms of tactics. So, it’s evident that we are going to shed some light on the substitutes in our Tactical Analysis. Well, Valverde has always been poor with his substitute choices and their timings. Sadly, Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona in Super Copa De Espana wasn’t an exception.

First of all, Valverde didn’t change anything in the starting lineup until we conceded the second goal. And guess what, he replaced Busquets with Rakitic who did nothing but pass the ball back to our defenders. Then, after Barcelona conceded the third goal, he brought in Ansu Fati to replace De Jong. What’s the point of such late substitutions? He should have brought Fati or Carlos Perez. Also, I think the substitutions would have taken place much much earlier in the game.

Verdict:

Anyways, guys, this is it for the Tactical Analysis of Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona in Super Copa De Espana. I hope you like our Tactical Analysis. Did we miss anything? Would you like to add something more? We would love to hear your opinion. So, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. Until next time, Visca El Barca!