Islam Bouafif 🇹🇳🇵🇸

1/ Lineup: Let's start as usual with the lineup. Flick surprised everyone with his choices for this game. While resting Casado and Balde and replacing them with FDJ and Martin seemed like standard squad rotation, the big shock was Dani Olmo starting as a false 9 instead of Lewy.

This decision seemed to serve two purposes: rotation and experimentation. Given the lack of a reliable backup striker, it was a smart move to explore an alternative solution for situations where Lewandowski might be unavailable due to injury or poor form.

But It was definitely a bold choice to test this setup for the first time against a strong opponent like Betis. We hadn’t seen Olmo in the false 9 role before, nor had this particular midfield trio played together this season. However, the gamble paid off.

2/ First Half: Betis opted for a low block in a compact 4-4-2 defensive structure rather than pressing us high. However, Pellegrini, like the rest of us, didn’t anticipate the unexpected changes in the lineup which disrupted Betis’s defensive setup, and here’s how it unfolded:

While Betis didn’t press high, they ensured their Striker and CAM applied pressure on our center-backs to restrict their ability to play line-breaking passes. But Frenkie dropping deep between the center-backs completely dismantled this plan.

Since their midfield pivots couldn’t follow Frenkie without leaving a gaping hole in their defensive shape, it created a 3v2 advantage for Barça during the buildup. Frenkie easily carried the ball forward, bypassing Betis’s first defensive line.

Even when Betis tried to focus on blocking Frenkie, Cubarsi stepped up and executed the same role effectively, making Barça’s buildup smooth and granting us total control of possession.

Frenkie dropping deep didn’t weaken the midfield because Olmo smartly covered the space by moving into midfield which created another numerical advantage, with Pedri, Gavi, and Olmo consistently outnumbering Betis’s two pivots.

Betis seemed prepared for Lewandowski’s usual movements, expecting him to drag their center-backs out of position to create space for Raphinha and Yamal. Their plan was to keep their center-backs disciplined and not follow the striker. But the twist was having Olmo intead of Lewy

Because leaving Lewandowski unmarked when he drops deep would likely lead to nothing, as he lacks the creativity to exploit the freedom he have but leaving Olmo unmarked allowed him the freedom to dictate play, pick passes, and exploit gaps in Betis’s defense.

Olmo’s false 9 role was executed brilliantly. While a traditional false 9 relies on wingers moving into the box when he drops deep, Barça adjusted by having Yamal stay wide to create width. Instead, Gavi frequently took up the role of attacking the box alongside Raphinha.

This trio—Olmo, Gavi, and Raphinha—constantly interchanged positions, creating spaces for each other. The first goal was a perfect example, where Olmo and Raphinha’s movements opened up space for Gavi to finish. Not to forget the brilliant work from Pedri to initiate the attack

We also relied heavily on the right side but instead of directly overloading the right, we built play on the left, drawing Betis’s focus. Then With quick passing sequences or a direct switch from Pedri/Gavi, we shifted play to the right, putting Yamal and Koundé in 2v1 situations

And due to Yamal's creativity and great passing ability, with also Kounde's great movement, barca were able to create a lot of danger from this situations, including our second goal and another goal that was disallowed due to a very unlucky offside.

One more thing i liked was that despite not having a natural striker, Barça maintained a strong presence in the box. When the ball was wide, both Olmo and Raphinha positioned themselves centrally, offering the kind of threat you’d expect from a traditional striker.

Defensively, Barça’s dominance in possession allowed them to counter-press immediately upon losing the ball, preventing Betis from launching effective counters. When Betis tried to build from the back, Barca relied on their usual aggressive pressing structure.

But Betis used a clever strategy of stretching their center-backs wide and initiating play on the left to draw Koundé and Araújo out of position which forces Gerard Martin to drop deeper to cover, allowing Betis to switch play quickly to the right where there was no pressure.

But for this to work Betis had to not loose the ball on the left side, and stay press resistant, before switching the play to the right , which worked once or twice, but in the other occasions, Araujo and Kounde's intensity were too much to deal with.

Another minor issue was on our left side, where Raphinha’s central role made it difficult for him to provide defensive cover with Martin, leaving Martin in 1v2 situations at times. Betis’s only real chance in the first half came from this vulnerability but Pena saved us.

But overall the team still defended well and the first half was outstanding for Barça. The team showed total control, beautiful passing sequences, and constant attacking threat, scoring two goals and nearly more if not for an unlucky offside.

3/Second Half Betis pressed more frequently, though not consistently. Their pressing came in bursts, alternating between high pressing and dropping deep into their usual low block. However, with the quality in Barça’s midfield, bypassing their press was relatively straightforward

Through quick directional changes or tight short passing sequences, Barça not only navigated Betis’s press but also exploited the spaces left in their defense. These gaps became more prominent as Betis pushed forward to attack, which directly contributed to Raphinha’s third goal.

When Betis opted for their deeper defensive shape, they aimed to remain compact, particularly in central areas, to deny spaces for Raphinha, Olmo, and Gavi to operate between the lines. This, however, left the Barça midfielders, free to dictate play near the edge of the box.

With their creativity and vision, they repeatedly found passes to break Betis’s defensive line. One such moment led to Ferran’s fourth goal, and two other passes led in a two disallowed goals for Yamal due to a unlucky offsides.

Barça continued to apply the principles established in the first half, particularly with Frenkie dropping between the center-backs to facilitate an effortless buildup. The numerical superiority in midfield remained effective even after Pedri and Gavi were substituted.

demonstrating the team’s tactical discipline. This structure played a key role in the fifth goal, as we can see the numerical advantage led to the freedom of Fermin lopez who was then able to provide a pass to Yamal putting him in an easy 1v1 situation with the keeper.

Defensively, Barça maintained their intensity. Even with a significant lead, they sustained a high press. Despite the midfield trio of Frenkie, Olmo, and Fermín—arguably weaker defensively, Betis rarely managed to progress into dangerous areas.

but when they did progress, occasional weaknesses in Barça’s midfield marking surfaced. Even so, these moments were few and far between. The only goal Barça conceded came from an unfortunate individual error by Koundé, whose misplaced action led to an unnecessary penalty.

4/Conclusion This match was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining Barcelona performances of the season. It wasn’t just the goals or the relentless attacking play that made it special, but also the sheer technical quality displayed across the pitch.

The inclusion of so many technically gifted players, combined with the use of a false 9, evoked memories of the old tiki-taka era, with its smooth passing, minimal touches, and intricate triangles. This system is very interesting, and i want to see more of it in the future.