For most FIFA career mode players, there will come a point where you simply have too many superstars to fit into the starting XI.
Due to practical issues such as money and the fact real humans can not be told to go away by the mere tap of an A button, this is rarely a luxury afford to real life managers.
But for Ernesto Valverde, going in to what could potentially be his final season at the club, this is his reality. He can boast one of the most star-laden teams in Europe but the problem remains the same. How does 23 fit into 11?
Barcelona's summer recruitment involved the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong to an increasingly busy forward line and midfield three, meaning Valverde must begin the plate-spinning akin task of trying to keep everyone happy.
His preference for a 4-4-2 last season could either have been one of choice or one of necessity as Ousmane Dembélé struggled with injuries but it seems unlikely to stick around for the new campaign given the wealth of attacking options at his disposal.
As it stands, the most logical formation seems to be a 4-3-3 with Griezmann on the left, Luis Suárez in the middle and Lionel Messi on the right but then that omits Dembélé who is hardly going to be thrilled for a season on the bench.
This is all before the speculated arrival of Neymar as he continues his Ross & Rachel style 'will they, won't they' reunion with the Catalan club.
It is often said that for a head coach, it is less about tactics and more about man management. For a FIFA player, you can bench a superstar for a season and hear little complaints but in reality, it is not so easy.
Stepping further back, de Jong's best pre-season performances came in the role that Sergio Busquets usually operates in. One option would be to use a double pivot commonly deployed by World Cup winning Spain coach Vicente del Bosque to accommodate the two of them and have one attacker further afield.
Also for Busquets, he has spent the majority of his career playing as the single pivot so would need to adapt his game to now having a partner alongside him.
This tactic would however provide some defensive cover if Barça did go with the ultra-attacking option but you are susceptible to losing the link between midfield and attack.
Keeping world class players happy even if they are not playing is a rare skill that only Pep Guardiola seems to have mastered. In what could be the most important season of his career, Valverde must now learn to do the same.
As the former Atheltic Bilbao coach begins the season with a visit to the place he once called home, you can be sure he will have had more than one selection headache on the journey there.
 |
| Antoine Griezmann playing in the Joan Gamper trophy |
But for Ernesto Valverde, going in to what could potentially be his final season at the club, this is his reality. He can boast one of the most star-laden teams in Europe but the problem remains the same. How does 23 fit into 11?
Barcelona's summer recruitment involved the arrivals of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong to an increasingly busy forward line and midfield three, meaning Valverde must begin the plate-spinning akin task of trying to keep everyone happy.
His preference for a 4-4-2 last season could either have been one of choice or one of necessity as Ousmane Dembélé struggled with injuries but it seems unlikely to stick around for the new campaign given the wealth of attacking options at his disposal.
As it stands, the most logical formation seems to be a 4-3-3 with Griezmann on the left, Luis Suárez in the middle and Lionel Messi on the right but then that omits Dembélé who is hardly going to be thrilled for a season on the bench.
This is all before the speculated arrival of Neymar as he continues his Ross & Rachel style 'will they, won't they' reunion with the Catalan club.
It is often said that for a head coach, it is less about tactics and more about man management. For a FIFA player, you can bench a superstar for a season and hear little complaints but in reality, it is not so easy.
Stepping further back, de Jong's best pre-season performances came in the role that Sergio Busquets usually operates in. One option would be to use a double pivot commonly deployed by World Cup winning Spain coach Vicente del Bosque to accommodate the two of them and have one attacker further afield.
 |
| Frenkie de Jong waves during his unveiling |
Also for Busquets, he has spent the majority of his career playing as the single pivot so would need to adapt his game to now having a partner alongside him.
This tactic would however provide some defensive cover if Barça did go with the ultra-attacking option but you are susceptible to losing the link between midfield and attack.
Keeping world class players happy even if they are not playing is a rare skill that only Pep Guardiola seems to have mastered. In what could be the most important season of his career, Valverde must now learn to do the same.
As the former Atheltic Bilbao coach begins the season with a visit to the place he once called home, you can be sure he will have had more than one selection headache on the journey there.
Comments
Post a Comment