Hansi Flick’s rampant Barcelona side got the better of Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United, starting their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win.
Barcelona held 64% possession, but struggled to break the Magpies down in the first half, taking nine shots and generating 0.67 Expected Goals.
In the second half, Marcus Rashford bagged a brace to set the teams apart. He scored a lovely header to make it 1-0 and thumping one off the bar to make it 2-0.
Newcastle were still able to generate 1.46 xG in the match, suffocating Flick’s side for large periods of the game.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Barcelona’s “minimum width” usage
Funnily enough, I wrote an article at the start of this week speaking about Flick’s minimum width concept and usage at Barcelona, which was on show once more against Newcastle.
Barcelona, when in settled possession, would look to push both of their full-backs wide. This opened space in the middle of the pitch for Flick’s side to overload central areas.
This saw both wingers coming narrow, while Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski dropped in. And the two midfielders interchanged within the block to connect things.
Having plenty of bodies in central areas allowed Barcelona to put the ball at risk with short sharp combinations in the middle of the pitch. They knew they had a compact unit ready to counter press should they lose possession.
Barcelona were able to have sustained periods on the ball when they did this. But in order to get to this point, they first had to pick their way through Newcastle’s man to man press.
Newcastle’s man to man press
Howe’s men didn’t come into this game scared of the opposition. They pressed high from goal kicks and looked to force Barcelona into turnovers inside their own half.
Harvey Barnes was pressing from left-wing onto Ronald Araujo, meaning Tino Livramento would jump an incredibly large distance to mark Jules Kounde. Dan Burn would shift across to mark Raphinha, going with a 3v3 in the last line.
Newcastle had the same approach against Liverpool this season. And, in a similar way, it worked at the beginning. It got the crowd involved and getting chances to take the lead, before Barcelona found a way through.
The risk of this pressing scheme comes if Barcelona can find access to Raphinha in 1v1 situations with Burn, who is dragged into wider areas to defend.
But, despite Burn being dribbled past twice, the breakthrough didn’t actually come from this method. It instead came from the brilliance of Kounde and Rashford.
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Rashford shines on biggest stage
Rashford scored his first two goals in Barcelona colours on his return to England. He took six shots, managing 64 touches and making two key passes in the game.
Flick’s usage of Rashford brings out the best of the 27-year-old. He allows the England star to be closer to goal, making off ball runs and unleashing shots with his devastating ball striking ability.
His first goal came from a lovely weak foot cross from Kounde, stepping up from right-back with time to pick out a ball into the box for once, digging out a perfect one for Rashford to guide home.
But the second goal was the one taking the headlines. Playing in close proximity to Lewandowski, allowed Rashford to latch onto a loose second ball, finding himself a yard before smashing it home from 20 yards off the bar.
Flick looked visibly ecstatic when the goal went in, likely because his team just took a two goal lead. But also because the work they are doing on the training ground to get Rashford familiar with his new role is clearly paying off.
Newcastle outlets
Newcastle’s press was intense from the off. But their best chances came on the break once Barcelona stepped out in possession themselves. The Magpies looked to hit the channels quickly and get behind the Spanish giants full-backs.
Anthony Elanga on the right and Anthony Gordon through the middle, were the two main outlets. They were making those runs in behind to exploit the space.
Despite Elanga only having 24 touches and Gordon only having 26, the pair contributed to 0.83 of Newcastle’s 1.46 xG.
Gordon got the goal for his efforts in the 90th minute, but could have put his side 1-0 up early in the game. Elanga had broke away from Gerard Martin, zipping a ball along the floor which Gordon failed to sweep home.
Had Newcastle taken the lead, the game could have been completely different. But both teams can come away from this one with plenty of positives after a hard fought opener for both sides in the Champions League.