5 developments that could aid Barcelona's quest for European glory
A 3-1 victory over Italian outfit, Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final in 2015 granted Barcelona Europe's most coveted trophy for the last time, with the Catalans escalating the excitement in the Camp Nou faithful by winning 5 incredible trophies during that campaign.
However, a disappointing 3-0 loss to a different Italian side, Roma was enough to send the Catalans away from the Champions League tournament last season. After earning a 4-1 victory over the Giallorossi during the first leg of their quarterfinal encounter, Barcelona fell to a shocking 3-0 defeat in the return fixture and they were knocked out on away-goal differences by the Italians to conclude another miserable campaign for the LaLiga champions.
That embarrassing defeat marked the third straight year in which the Blaugrana have failed in Europe. Despite dominating at the domestic level during the past few years, it is quite obvious that the Catalans have failed to replicate such brilliance in the European tournament, failing to progress from the quarterfinals of the competition in each of the past 3 seasons.
However, considering the recent revolutions that have taken place at the club, it finally looks like the Catalans are ready to win the Champions League this season and below are 5 developments that could aid their European quest:
#5. Return to the 4-3-3 formation
The departure of Neymar Junior and a little crisis in the Barcelona squad forced Ernesto Valverde to adopt the 4-4-2 formation last season and while it provided balance and defensive improvements, the Catalans were not as impressive going forward - forcing Lionel Messi to take on most of the goalscoring responsibilities.
However, the manager has changed his layout from the 4-4-2 formation to the famous 4-3-3 this season and that change has allowed the Blaugrana to improve their attacking flow, increasing the pressure on opposing defences as well as getting the best out of players like Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, and Jordi Alba.
It should not be forgotten that the 4-3-3 formation has been the most effective setup that Barcelona have utilised in their long and illustrious history. As a matter of fact, both Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique did not just win the UEFA Champions League with this system, they also completed fantastic trebles during their respective tenures at the club.
Therefore, the change of system has come at the right time for the Catalan giants who intend to conquer Europe this season and there is no doubt the 4-3-3 formation could aid them in their quest to win the UEFA Champions League during the term.