What will it take to stop Barcelona?

Modern football is set up for big players, strong ones, athletes. And then you have Barcelona, a team that doesn’t fit the characteristics of the modern game at all: with them it’s about mobility, positioning and precision. So while you gear up for the rest of the world by focusing on conventional tactics; against Barcelona, you need to leave all that behind. You need to refocus, change tactics, forge a new mindset and at short notice that is never easy. Defenders are set up – mentally, tactically, physically – to stop a certain type of player. But Barcelona, as a team, depend so much on their sublime passing that it’s hard to know where the next blow is going to come from. You mess up and they’ll get you. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho beat Barca in the final of the Copa Del Ray last year by going completely on the defensive. It was an extreme tactic but in reality that’s what it takes to beat Pep Guardiola’s squad. There can’t be any half-measures. You either go in prepared to die or come back empty-handed. [caption id=“attachment_73560” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona (C) celebrates with his teammates after scoring his fifth team’s goal during the Joan Gamper Trophy match between FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli at the Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona, Spain. David Ramos/Getty Images.”]  [/caption] But this year’s Barca seems even better. Spain Under-21 midfielder Thiago Alcantara is very much in the Andres Iniesta mold, the flying winger Alexis Sanchez will give them more bite up front and then you have the likes of Cesc Fabregas to ease the pressure on Xavi and Iniesta. It just means that Barcelona’s top players will get more rest this season and a better chance to hit the big matches in peak fitness. The season hasn’t even begun and they’ve already won three trophies. They started their La Liga season by crushing third-place contender Villarreal 5-0 despite resting some of their top players. Unless Barcelona can be stopped, football will, against all odds, become like watching Formula One when Schumacher was in his prime. Barca won a third consecutive league crown in May with 96 points, four ahead of Real. Third-placed Valencia had 71 points and Villarreal were fourth with 62. Their 3-1 win in the Champions League final against Man United showcased a vast gulf between the two sides. The other teams will win the odd match or two but when the big matches come around, there is simply no stopping Barcelona. A one horse race is never interesting which is why Barcelona needs to be stopped. But just how do you go about trying to do that? Prepare a bad pitch The Super Cup match-up between Porto and Barcelona showed that on a bad pitch, Guardiola’s side can’t really play their best passing game. And if you can do that, it’s half the problem solved. Then, there’s just the issue of stopping Lionel Messi, David Villa and the rest. So solve one problem and another crops up but at least it’s worth a go. Man-to-man marking Because Barcelona are so focussed on their passing game if you cut down their passing lanes, you make them play outside their comfort zone. But it is easier said than done. In last year’s Champions League final, for instance, Barcelona made a total of 777 passes almost double that of Man United (357). Xavi alone complete 148 passes and he misplaced just seven to give him a completion rate of 95 per cent. So to cut them off, you have to have player who will track at least the midfielders wherever they go. No matter how deep, they have to stick with them. Attack If you sit back and wait for a mistake to launch your attack, you will keep waiting. Because when Barcelona attack they have a slow build-up, keep possession and rarely if ever rush in the opponents den. They tease and torment until you charge out at them and then break you down. So teams will need to go back to the old adage: ‘Attack is the best defense.’ Push them back, don’t allow their defenders to join the attack and let them feel the danger. Play the ugly game Do professional fouls. Break the rhythm of the game. And don’t earn a card. That’s what Real Madrid did in the Copa Del Ray and it worked. It was ugly but it got the job done. Perhaps more teams will follow suit. Look for a crack and wedge your foot in Perhaps the league of big clubs needs to come together in their bid to stop Barcelona. Imagine Alex Ferguson (Man United), Arsene Wenger (Arsenal), Roberto Mancini (Man City), Jose Mourinho (Real Madrid) and Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich), all coming together to plan out strategy to beat Barca. It will never happen but that’s what it will take to bring the Nou Camp faithful back to planet earth.