At 2:30 am on April 18 (Vietnam time), Barcelona will play the final of the King's Cup of the 2020-21 season against Athletic Bilbao. Along with La Liga, this is one of two championships that the Catalan team can aim for this season after being eliminated in the Champions League.
Although Barca won Bilbao 2-1 in Liga on January 1, there were still some concerns when they had lost to this opponent in the Spanish Super Cup in mid-January. And even though Lionel Messi has always been a "mental spirit" for the European team, Ronald Koeman still needs to solve some problems to ensure positive results.
Where to use Frenkie de Jong?
De Jong joined Barca a year before Koeman was appointed and he will be a "key" factor, because they were once the coaches of the Netherlands national team.
The versatility of this young midfielder has been exploited by Koeman, from the role of central midfielder, defensive midfielder, high-altitude midfielder or even... central defender. In a way, De Jong is a recreation of the once-famous "libero" position with Matthias Sammer or Lothar Matthaus.
When De Jong is placed in the center of the three central defenders, with his ball handling skills and skillful passing, he will attract the opponent so that the surrounding positions can comfortably move out of space. However, with De Jong playing in such a low position, Barca could have problems if he fell into a state of overload due to having to work continuously.
Controlling the ball in midfield is the key to Barca's system, but De Jong also tends to push up, penetrating into the opponent's penalty area, which is the nature of libero. That creates risk, forcing his teammates to have support in the position he left behind if he does not want to be counterattacked.
The problem is that Barca has never done a good job of covering the gaps or maintaining the solidity of the defense, so Koeman has to consider how to use De Jong against Bilbao who know how to wait patiently
Where does Ousmane Dembele play?
Setting Dembele up to play as a 'number 9' is also a discovery by Koeman in the context of Martin Braithwaite not showing the instinct of the centre-forward. There were times when the risk was rewarded, such as when Dembele's speed and unpredictability caused Sevilla's defense to be constantly disrupted.
Barca has cleverly helped Dembele stay in the 1 vs 1 situations he often won. This option in the final match was also quite anticipated, but last weekend, in the El Clasico, Real Madrid proved that this could be a double-edged sword.
If the opponent chooses to defend in large numbers, Dembele could be stuck in the ring, as he needs space to maximize his speed. Not to mention the low Dembele completion rate.
Overall, Koeman will have to decide Dembele's position depending on the opponent's approach to the match.
3-4-3 or 4-3-3 diagram?
The biggest problem ahead of the match, how will Koeman handle it? The transition to a three-man central defender was praised, until Real Madrid pointed out a way to counter, forcing Koeman to return to the 4-3-3 tactical formation in which Lionel Messi plays the role of "false 9".
That diagram ensures counter-attacking when there are 2 players behind the 2 wingers, but with the current personnel, the attack is not as smooth as before.
Once again, the attitude of Bilbao players will have an influence on which lineup Barca should use. In other words, flexibility is necessary, for 4-3-3 to counterattack and 3-4-3 to increase pressure when attacking.
Modern football has repeatedly proven that adjustment and effectiveness in finishing are not much related to superior ball control.
