Explaining Gerardo Martino's tactics and the future of Barcelona

Manager Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino of FC Barcelona looks on during a training session at the Sant Joan Despi Sport Complex on July 29, 2013 in Barcelona, Spain. (Getty Images)

Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino was not a household name until rumours popped up about Barcelona pursuing him as a managerial candidate. By the time he signed that contract, discussions and points were thrown across the room on how Martino will set up his new team.

Mentored by Marcelo Bielsa, Martino is a bielsista. And while he may not replicate the exact philosophy of his mentor, Martino adapts to the prevailing situation, unlike that of El Loco. He also prefers zonal trapping instead of man-marking.

Their philosophies are built on possession, which Martino picked up during his playing days at Newell’s Old Boys, whose manager then was a budding Bielsa.

Before following in the footsteps of Bielsa and taking over at Newell’s last year (and leading them to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores), Martino managed the Paraguayan national team from 2006-2011, leading them to the quarters of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Martino demands a 100% from every player in his team. They have to constantly be on the move, press their opponents and work hard. The principles of total football that were coined by the great Rinus Michels are important, as the team both attacks and defends as a cohesive unit.

This brings up the question of Newell’s high-line, which needed to be quiet high for the team to always act as a well-oiled system. Without a high-line and an offside trap, the whole team couldn’t move together. If a high-line isn’t maintained properly, the opposition could exploit the open space.

With Newell’s, Martino employed a 4-1-4-1, which was as good as the 4-3-3 which Barcelona usually use. With a high-line they could play a disciplined offside trap with minimal risk. The proximity between the defensive midfielder and the centre-backs wasn’t too high. This reduced the risk of a fast counter-attack when the full-backs were at the opposite end.

Moreover, Martino believes that transition can be a huge factor in deciding games. A system that allows a smooth transition of defence to attack and attack to defence is required to bring out the best of dominating possession.

Offensive Transition

The defensive midfielder played the most important role in this side. He orchestrated the transition by connecting the defence with the attack, providing cover for overlapping full-backs and was pivotal in forming those little triangles to keep possession.

The white dotted lines portray his field of view. This was where he most likely slots a perfect pass. Diego Mateo played quite a number of games in this position for Newell’s, and was well versed with what Martino wanted him to do.

During every attack, the full-backs pushed up, the wingers cut inside, the midfielders pushed towards the final third, with the defensive midfielder dropping back, while the striker waited for that killer through ball. There are many differences between this attacking transition to that of Barcelona.

One is that Pep Guardiola employed a strategy that slowed down the tempo and let the players pass the other team to ‘death’. With the opposition finding it hard to focus, the players would suddenly break and score.

Martino is different. He is more focused on a direct play between the midfielders, attackers and the full-backs. He will want his players to dominate possession, but without any compulsion of dominating in the number of successful passes.

Another characteristic to note is that players under Martino usually avoided playing the ball in the air; they preferred playing it on the ground. They were also extremely good from dead-ball situations. Almost the same as the one Guardiola deployed with his Barcelona side, thanks to both of their bielsista roots.