The False Winger: Solution to Barcelona's tough February in Dembele's absence?

Gavi has been Xavi's choice to play as a false winger.

The constant tactical evolution of Xavi's Barcelona in recent months has pleasantly surprised all. Given the initial rigidity in his tactics, questions had begun revolving the midfield maestro's abilities as a manager. However, since then, Xavi has turned over a new leaf. Analyzing his opponents carefully, the manager has frequently employed different strategies & profiles to achieve victory. Most prominently, the infusion of the false winger which has added extra protection to the midfield & credited Barcelona with big victories. Now, as Barcelona head into a crucial month for their campaign, a new set of challenges have plagued Xavi's team. Losing their most creative forward, Dembele, to a thigh injury, the Catalan giants have been faced with a tough choice to replace him on the left wing.

While the Blaugrana still have Ansu Fati & Ferran who can play out wide on the left, their inconsistency this season has been a cause of worry. To trust them to handle the wing in Dembele's absence in a big month could go either way. Meanwhile, Xavi's use of the false winger has been growing rapidly which could suggest that the gaffer intends to employ the tactic in February. However, the question still remains, which strategy will help La Blaugrana the most? Let's take look at the pros & cons of both.

THE FALSE WINGER.

1.) PROS:

A tactic which has greatly benefitted Barcelona in recent matches has been the use of a false winger. Deploying either Gavi or Pedri as the false winger, Xavi asks them to start out wide but as the game progresses forward to gradually make their way inside. This helps Gavi/Pedri get into dangerous zones on the inside of the fullback and exploit any space between the center back & fullback. Considering Balde then likes to occupy wide spaces on the overlap, the rival fullback is left in two minds & the backline is ultimately stretched, creating acres of space for Gavi to ghost into. As a direct result, Barcelona manage to create numerical superiorities in the left inside channel & the central channel.

An added benefit of employing the false winger has been the presence of De Jong & Busquets on the pitch together. On the attack, Frenkie's forward progression of the ball & line breaking passes have helped the Blaugrana breakdown rigid, low block defenses while the occasional long ball from Busquets bypasses a high defensive line & lends Barcelona with multiple forms of attack. On the counter, given their understanding of positioning, the two have also been able to create a thick net & intercept breakaways in the middle of the park. This has seen Barcelona retain possession & assert dominance continually in the oppositions half.

2.) CONS:

Perhaps the biggest flaw of employing a false winger is the ease with which one can breakaway on the counter out wide. With Balde occupying the entire wing alone, if he is caught up field, the opposition can easily counter with pacey wingers. Even last night, Betis tried to utilize the free space in which Luis Henrique found himself in and create a couple of very dangerous chances. With the Blaugrana set to face Man United who use pacey wingers like Marcus Rashford & Jadon Sancho, this could prove to be a fatal flaw in the formation. The use of the false winger also limits Barcelona's options at Left Back to only Blade as Alba & Alonso frankly lacking in their own ways to occupy the entire wing for 90 minutes.

Gavi & Balde are caught up field leaving Betis with space to exploit & create a dangerous chance through the wing. 

Another possible restriction of using a false winger against teams which defend in a low block (Almeria/Cadiz) who Barcelona are to face this month could be the saturation of space in the middle. These teams usually have lines of five or six covering the box & with Barcelona attacking with four in the middle, the spaces could be extremely compact to break into.



THE ANSU/ FERRAN CONUNDRUM:

1.) PROS:

Having trained under some of the best managers who practice possession based football, Ansu & Ferran both understand the role of functioning as a wide winger. Both of them are adept at stretching the backline & creating spaces for the interiors to exploit against low block teams. Despite not being the fastest, both are more than capable of taking on defenders & dribbling past them. Not afraid of taking shots, the duo are also seen drifting inside and launching for goal from the space they can create.

Their ability to practice quick one twos & run into space behind can definitely see them being a nuisance for a club like Manchester United who aren't blessed with the best fullbacks. Probably the biggest asset Ferran possesses is his ability to manipulate space & make diagonal movements which make him almost unmarkable. The creative output of the duo is also quite impressive. Be it crosses into the box or passes into dangerous zones, Ferran & Ansu can be unstoppable on their day. However, it is extremely unlikely that Xavi will play both together on opposite flanks so them alternating seems to be the most realistic option.

Ferran has cut a frustrated figure this season.

2.) CONS:

Unfortunately, this season, both have struggled to find their stride. Ansu, finally retuning from a long recurring injury has looked quite passive for most of the time he's spent on the pitch. The fire still is visible in his eyes, but it seems to be far away, dormant. Whenever he has been on the pitch, he has shown flashes of brilliance, dribbling past players with ease & getting in behind defenders. But, only in flashes. Far from his best. His decision-making has severely been lacking & amateur mistakes aplenty. Expecting him to explode against serious rivals like Villarreal, Manchester United & Sevilla suddenly is possibly a little too much to ask for.

Meanwhile, Ferran isn't doing any better. The 22-year-old's form has gone from bad to worse and his confidence seems to be at an all-time low. Whenever he has been on the field, the Spaniard has cut an isolated figure on the pitch, rarely demanding the ball & making any significant movement. While Xavi still seems to back Ferran, his explosion, too, seems unlikely. At the end of the day, despite everything the duo might potentially bring to the table, consistency is a quality the duo currently lack & it might be risky to trust them.



CONCLUSION:

A crucial month awaits La Blaugrana & the choices Xavi is faced with aren't easy to make. Going into a game with the false winger against a team which employs pacey wingers could see Barcelona suffer heavily, while the inconsistency of the Spanish duo make them too unreliable. Probably the best solution to Dembélé's absence would be the infusion of both.

February presents Ansu & Ferran with the perfect opportunity to regain confidence & win Xavi's trust entirely. Their inclusion in the side could see Barcelona look more balanced & create more gaps in between the defence for interiors to exploit. At the same time, when necessary, it would be beneficial for Barcelona to possess numerical superiority in the middle to control the midfield against ball playing oppositions. At the end of the day, only constant reinvention will make Barcelona unpredictable.