Barcelona – A scientific football Phenomenon, by Ted Dumitru and Prof. L.S. Jeevanantham

For a number of years, the debate about Barcelona’s astounding performances has made the headlines of newspapers and football magazines all over the world. However, nothing can match the flurry of opinions and expert analyses provoked by the European Champions League final of 2011.

Before the game, every football personality and media connoisseur zealously tried to demonstrate, either why Barca’s superiority would win the Cup or how Manchester United could beat them. The opinions expressed in this regard, centred on Barca’s exceptional trio of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, their exceptional passing ability and, subsequently, how this perfect combination could be stopped. During the match, after MU’s impressive opening, the pro-MU corner held out some hope. After the match, they were left speechless, except for some very honourable expressions of recognition of the superiority of Barcelona’s performance, not only on the night, but also during the year and over the last three years.

Before the final, the pro-Barcelona analysts provided strong evidence of the qualities consistently displayed in Barca’ style of play — statistics on the number of passes completed by Xavi, Messi’s off-the-ball movement, the distances covered by players in matches, etc — and concluded that MU doesn’t have the quality, nor the system, to beat Barca. The opposing party of experts, commentators and journalists, fortified themselves with the belief that MU’s Rooney, their tactics and discipline, could be the solution to Barca’s irresistible force. Detailed solutions were offered — “don’t give them any space”, “pressurise high” — while others were saying, “no, it’s better to defend deep, win the ball and use quick counterattacks”, “use two defending midfielders”, etc. All these views were expressed with the strong belief that tactical excellence on the part of MU could make the decisive difference. It was even strangely rumoured that Sir Alex had sought advice from Mourinho prior to the match!

Well, now we know what happened and who the best is.

In many opinions, the “sublime”, “out-of-this-world” and unmatchable Barca is the best team of modern-era football. The view expressed also adds that it is unlikely that a better team will emerge in the foreseeable future.

Their adversaries, as expected, are fixated on what must be done next, or in the future, to counter Barca’s undoubtedly superior quality. The suggestions range from developing more efficient defence organisation against playing styles similar to Barca’s, to “discovering” players like Messi. Some, including Sir Alex, believe that the supremacy of Barcelona will only last as long as Messi, Xavi and Iniesta remain in the team.

However, the most intriguing thing in this huge debate, regardless of which side of the fence one is on, is the fact that the observers and experts alike regard Barca’s astonishing success predominantly to a combination of their imposingly fluent passing and the dominant personalities in the team. For a football traditionalist, whose views can be described as, “What you see is what you get”, this view is understandable. However, it is definitely not an accurate understanding of the basis of Barcelona’s success. This basis will only emerge as a result of a fundamental, in-depth investigation into Barca’s game complexity.

The conclusions of such an investigation will provide both new discoveries and inspiring challenges.

First, let’s put aside Barca’s ‘style’ of play as it has to be recognised that every playing style is based on a specific concept of the game. The style, therefore, is only an expression of the concept (for example, notice how many variations, i.e. play systems and types of players, subscribe to the “direct football” approach). In other words, one’s concept of the game determines the playing styles that are evident. This is a revelation that many will find very interesting and surprising.

The concept or foundation of how the game should be played, at Barcelona, requires a highly sophisticated and interdependent combination of perfect ball technique and playing intelligence, which brings, to the fore the factor of the football brain. The principle: “Respect the Ball”, reiterated by Guardiola at the pre-match, press conference, did not make sense to too many, but it is, unconditionally, the fundamental factor in the Barca’s football philosophy.

Extensively, intensively, continually, in combination with complexity, the ability to master the ball is developed and then perfected, as the most predominant training objective for all players, i.e., early-age youth through to professionals. The complexity of the brain/technique factor is unlimited in application. Its most remarkable features are:

Complete ability to control the ball under conditions of speed, opponent’s pressure and field conditions. The ball is “glued” to the foot, making dispossession or ‘stealing’ by the opponent almost impossible (this aspect is not equalled by any top team at present).

Effective running with the ball, to challenge opponents, disrupt their defensive organisation or to exploit space, by all the in-field players (Note that in the so-called “modern” theory of coaching, running with the ball is considered unnecessary).

Ability to execute decisive combinations of dribbling, intricate movement (footwork), feints and repeated changes of direction, is a characteristic of all the in-field players and, to a lesser degree, the goalkeeper.

Superior shielding of the ball, supported by sharp turns/disguises, thereby denying the opponent(s) the opportunity of gaining possession. Approximately 80 per cent of Barca’s players possess this important ability.

A superior capacity to use ball possession for (1) constructing attacks, (2) subduing the opposition’s aggression and/or play dynamics, (3) providing “active recovery” for certain team-mates who performed a play sequences of high effort/ intensity/expenditure, e.g., maximum speed/pressure imposed by the opposition during previous play sequences.
Complete technique, and its diversified tactical application, allows all the in-field players, to initiate attacks, support and participate in the build-ups, complete/finish attacks and perform defensive responsibilities. This complete capacity leads to optimised mobility, which, in turn, results in an ideal distribution of expending energy among the team (the benefits extend to sharper actions and maximised high pressure during the defensive phase)
Players’ multiple techniques and tactical skills allows almost all the in-field players to perform the play-making function during the game (This is a huge advantage as it enhances the elements of surprise and diversity).
The passing component (not as a style of play in itself, but as a style component) has several key characteristics. Interestingly, Alistair MacGowan, an English football analyst, indicates that “95 per cent of Xavi’s passes at Wembley were 35 yards or less”.

The almost exclusive use of short passes has a very little known, but hugely important attribute. Accurate, sharp, short passes of 10 to 15m, where the ball travels for less than one second, makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the opponent(s) to successfully react and intercept or block the pass. To achieve this they need more than one second to make any useful reaction so as to win the ball. In the game concept employed by Barca, long passes, crosses, or even defensive clearances, are not considered, if there is not high degree of certainty that the ball will not be lost. The other important aspect in Barca’s passing system is the use of one or multiple touches, to create effective and safe ways for retaining possession of the ball. In many instances, ball touches/dribbling create a delay, or the ball is played back for the crucial reason of creating new angles.

Multiple, rapid, short and ultra-short passes (inside a 2m range) are exchanged for the purpose of attracting 2-3 or more opponents, into a small area, and then “eliminating” them through a sudden change in the passing pattern and direction. Barcelona’s condensed pattern, characterised by playing the ball over short distances, dictates to the opposition, the space that they are allowed to occupy. As a result, when Barcelona loses the ball, they are able to win it back very quickly, because of the restricted space in which the opposition is now playing and by “hunting in packs” so as to create intense pressure for the opponent in possession. This sophisticated application of passing and intricate movement is unique in today’s football.

This is the first time, in football, that such unprecedented diversity of technical and tactical elements has been so harmoniously integrated in football.An equally complex conditioning concept that “respects the ball”– possession, attacking play and defensive effort, delivers superior results, and is in complete contrast to the irrationality of the “athletic” conditioning approach employed by the rest of the football world.

These interrelated and interdependent components of Barcelona’s concept of football generate contrasting psychological effects in a match.

As Messi and company enjoy the satisfaction of a football mentality that matches their nature and training and serves as the main source for confidence (even constructive arrogance, at times), motivation and success, the opposition are subject to negative psychological effects.

It is only recently, with the help of the tools of science that we have learned how the success or failure, of the technical and tactical application in the game, can influence the mind and through it, performance. Reports confirm that even the mentally strong and highly motivated players collapse psychologically when playing against Barcelona. The accumulated frustrations from chasing the ball for long periods of time, losing the ball almost immediately after winning it, being restricted from applying any game plan, etc., are the main reasons for opposition players becoming demotivated and consequently less competitive. Even the best motivators in the game, Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, failed to win the psychological battle in the face of the Barcelona approach. Under such circumstances even the most relevant tactics and optimal players’ motivation do not work.

The explanation is that if the brain is put into a negative mood, for a period of time, during the game, it cannot change instantly to process and deliver solutions to a constructive and creative task, e.g., immediately after winning the ball. In these cases, players lose confidence in their own ability (gradually the feeling of inferiority takes over). In many cases, they stop believing in their own team’s game plan –“it’s not working” is the conclusion – and the prospect of defeat becomes even more real. This response is understood as it is a natural human response.

The inability to match the technical and tactical superiority of such a complex game concept, as used by Barca, will definitely inflict psychological damage to opponents of lesser quality. The only realistic solution is either to find ways of perfecting what Barcelona has already developed, as a game concept, or to discover a new approach (an unlikely possibility). One positive suggestion, coming from Sir Alex Ferguson, is that coaching (outside Barcelona’s philosophy) should re-consider the way youth are developed. He suggests a vastly increased volume of work in training of very young players.

His comments actually reinforce the view that global coach education has a bankrupt and archaic mentality. Technique must be reinstated as the fundamental factor, in football and prime objective in developing young players (There should be no competitive expectations before all ball technique elements are consolidated!)

The principle, “Respect the Ball”, must be considered in all coaching and training aspects, at all levels, if there is any genuine/concrete effort to reach the standards set by Barcelona. Immediate changes are required, particularly in the traditions inherited by the current “fitness for fitness” or “athleticism” that are given priority in youth and competitive football.

Because of the fact that these psycho-technical elements, incorporated in the way Barca plays the game, have a general scientific and specific sport- science basis, leads to the conclusion that this is the first example of scientific football in the history of the game.

Based on the above discussion, it is necessary that the football theoreticians restore the correct order of priorities in football coaching.

Barcelona is still not the perfect exponent of the concept that they have defined. There are several points where improvement can be attained to maximise the approach. Consider the fact that in the current squad, Barca has approximately 70 per cent of their players having been developed within the club’s football philosophy. It is probable that a squad fully developed within Barca’s football mentality could perform at even higher standards.

As for African and particularly South African Football, the solutions for superior performance, emulating Barcelona’s concept, are available and ready for implementation. But the problems remain: there is not enough commitment to change things. There is not yet any effort to develop the necessary local expertise. The trend of importing coaching knowledge defies logic as foreign influences still hinder progressive thinking.

Amazingly, the predispositions of African and Asian players have been identified and regarded to be superior even to the best of what Barcelona has to offer.

Are these factors new in football science or progressive knowledge? They are not at all!

 * Prof. L.S. Jeevanantham (PhD) is founder and director of Midas Football Academy, a partner of Mzansi Penya Barcelonista

* This article was published in Supersport: http://www.supersport.com/football/blogs/ted-dumitru/Barcelona_A_scientific_football_Phenomenon