New paths towards goal

With the departures of Leo Messi and Antoine Griezmann Barça no longer have their two top scorers from last season. To make up for their absence the team will have to find new methods attacking, new leaders and new ideas. Here are some of the possible tactical paths to follow for a new model of attacking football. 

Reduce the distance to the opposition's goal 

The first idea is dependent on the team pressing high up the field as a unit. Barça would also need to regain their ability to pressure to win the ball back as high up the field as possible, higher than they have been able to do in recent seasons. This is one of the keys to 'positional' football and it allows a team to link in attack more often and it also brings two more important elements for team looking to score: disorganisation on behalf of their opponents and a reduction in the distance to the opposition's goal. 

It is an aspect of the game that Barça did show in their opening fixture against Real Sociedad as they won the ball 48 times in the game, 20 in the opposition's half. The most interesting stat shows an average position of 43.2 metres when winning the ball back, the best figure for a long time. However, this is something that the blaugranes have not done in all their matches; being more consistent in this area is a key objective but it requires hard work and coordination. 

Midfielders getting in the box and the channels 

Changing the focus of recent attacking play can also be an important factor. Barça's style of play, characterised by midfield talent, has tended to play through the middle. At 36% last season, Barça is the team who attacked most through the centre last season in La Liga. 

Therefore, the blaugranes have an unmissable opportunity to open up the pitch. If they do it, it will also open up channels for midfielders to get into the box and assume more goalscoring responsibility to even out the figures. Players such as Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Sergi Roberto, Coutinho and even new talents such as Nico and Gavi, when they get the chance to play, need to get into the box more as well as trying more shots from outside the box. Barça really need them to score their share of goals. 

Don't allow the opposition to get organised

Taking advantage of quick transition from defence to attack will be a point to exploit given that in this space of time it is impossible for opponents to organise themselves. Although Barça's style of play means that the majority of attacks come in tight spaces, in football there are always moments to be direct. 

The main difficulty lies in choosing the moment to counter quickly; not every moment is the right one and not all guarantee the same level of success. Using it too much can provoke games which are too open - if Barça can find a balance it will help to create more goalscoring opportunities. 

Memphis and linking up on the left 

Memphis is a player with amazing technical abilities and one of those abilities is his capacity to create danger all by himself, from both sides of the field. That was plain to see in the game against Athletic Club when he started the match as a 'false' nine and ended it as a left winger. The Dutchman was equally impressive in both positions. 

In 28 interventions, one clear chance created and a shot in the 61 minutes as a 'false' nine plus 22 interventions, two shots and a goal in the 32 minutes he played as a left winger. The team need to exploit his talent and his versatility and also one of the most successful paths to success of recent seasons: Jordi Alba's runs from left back whose crosses now will have new targets after so much success in the past, in particular with Leo Messi. Four of the team's six goals have come from this area show it is an area to be exploited but without becoming predictable. 

The Ansu Fati factor and the unpredictable talent of Dembélé 

Whether starting on the left or as a 'false' nine (his position in the youth teams), Ansu Fati has spectacular potential. He can take players on, pass, score and he can be a decisive presence in matches. Furthermore, his ability to get in behind opposing defences is something that is really important for a team - an area where Dembélé can help when he is fit again. 

Two players who can change a lot about Barça's attacking play. The first due to his overall impact and the second due to his unpredictability. With regards to Martin Braithwaite, a player who is not as creative but has great pace, presence in the area and a capacity to work extremely hard for the team, he is unable to help at the moment due to a knee injury. 

Movement from the young talent (Nico, Gavi and Demir) 

Another area is having more movement high up the field and consequently increasing the pace of moving the ball. This will be more important than ever in the current climate and so the squad need to have an injection of dynamism represented by the young players who have burst on to the scene this season. Nico, Gavi, Yusuf Demir and Alejandro Balde will all help and they merge pace and precision in their football. 

Sergio Agüero and Luuk de Jong options 

To the previous point we have to add two stylistically different options which could be very useful in certain match situations: Sergio Agüero and Luuk de Jong. The Argentine striker is coming to the final phase of his career but he is still a quality performer in tight spaces. His lighting reactions give him an advantage over a lot of opponents and he is a creative player who is also a goalscorer. 

On the other hand we have Luuk de Jong, a real specialist finisher. His real contribution could be in situations where there is very little space to be found. His talent lies in making the most of crosses from outside and holding the ball up for his team mates. Well used, they could be two important options in attack for Barça.   

*Statistics provided by Opta Sports.