Casadó’s replacement and other tactical keys for Barça – Las Palmas

Barça will host Las Palmas in the match that opens the day on Saturday. A much more important match than is believed since it is vital to break the dynamics of the recent bad results in the League. And, to do this, the Barça team will have to adapt to the schedule and many other football things. Here my keys for this meeting:

1. THE SUBSTITUTE OF MARRIED

The first important point is who will be the replacement for a footballer like Casadó who, no one would have thought, has become indisputable at Barça. For this, three options, but none of them are specific to the position. It is not an easy decision. The first, that of Eric García. He is a defender but he has already played in this position. He did it with Xavi and also this season with Flick. He ensures good positioning and easy play, but he arrives just out of shape (he comes out of injury) and has difficulty turning the game. The second possibility is to place Frenkie de Jong as a six. The Dutchman has played on some occasions in this location and has all the football arguments to do very well, but he is not in a good playing moment. In addition, he is volatile in the position and requires another player to be very aware of his movements. And, the last thing is that Gavi is the chosen one. He has never played there but he has everything to be able to successfully adapt to the area. He is disciplined, energetic, very good technically and with maximum predisposition. The most likely thing is that the German coach will opt for De Jong or him.

2. OPPORTUNITY PLAYERS

Las Palmas, due to idiosyncrasy and the profiles of an important part of its squad, is a team that tries to play the ball. And although the arrival of Diego Martínez has brought order and some pragmatism, the Canarian team continues to be a combinative team. In fact, they occupy 17th position in the table but are the sixth team in the championship in both short passes (439) and possession (54% on average). So they tend to want to build the game from behind on many occasions. He has will and good footballers like Kirian, Moleiro, Manu Fuster, Sandro… But not all players have the same technical level. Essugo, Mckenna or Suárez do not have the precision that the play often requires. So it is a very pressureable team that can be easily recovered high. Something that Barça has to promote.

3. THE LEFT, THE WEAK BAND OF THE PALMS

The Canary Islands team has one wing that is noticeably more vulnerable than the other: the left. It is where he deploys most in attack and where he suffers, a lot, defensively. It is easily out of place as a team and any of the left-back options are vulnerable. In fact, five of the eight goals that the Canary Islands team has conceded since the arrival of Diego Martínez have come with the opponent entering from the right. And that is something that Barça has to exploit by evoking its attacks especially out there. Furthermore, Álex Muñoz has had problems all week and is a serious doubt.

4. CENTRAL-INTERIOR CONNECTIONS

Due to the opponent’s usual layout (4-2-3-1 with the ball and 4-5-1 in defense), there will be spaces for the Barça centre-backs (Íñigo and Cubarsí) to gain comfortable driving meters and focus forward passes. When that happens, it will be important that they connect with midfielders on the side or even with wingers. With this, they will be able to break lines and eliminate the opponent’s first barrier to attack. The first step to create scoring chances.

5. ALBERTO MOLEIRO AND FABIO SILVA

As usual, Las Palmas has very good footballers. Especially from a talent point of view. And, from there, one name must be highlighted above the rest: that of Alberto Moleiro. A different and differential footballer due to his great imbalance when standing (2.1 successful dribbles per game), his vision of the game and his quality for the last pass. In addition, he has added goals to all this this season (four so far). Without a doubt, a great team player. At the point of attack, highlight Fabio Silva. A forward who promised a lot, who had dropped in recent times and who has recovered his best version. Dynamic, incisive and with many resources for finishing. Since his arrival, he has been at a very high level. Three goals and one assist in the last five games.