FC Barcelona Strategy Breakdown 2013 La Liga Week 1

Cesc Fabregas (#4) has the ball and plenty of options, due to the team having formed a wheel, which is the most important shape in Barcelona's style, with someone in the center and teammates arranged around like spokes:

His teammates immediately react to Fabregas’ choice. Notice Xavi Hernandez (#6) is already running to his next spot while the ball is in mid-air:

Alexis Sanchez (#9) receives the ball, and could attack the goal or pass backwards to Davi Alves (#22). Xavi has established a position so that he is now the center of a wheel. Lionel Messi (#10) is double-teamed:

Instead, Alexis dribbles toward the sideline to open more passing options. The defensive line stays close to Messi:

Sanchez passes to Xavi, but playing a give-and-go with a Sanchez run toward the goal is well defended. Messi is triple-teamed:

Xavi one-touch passes back to Alves, who is completely unguarded. Defenders rush towards him, abandoning Fabregas:

Xavi slips behind the defenders, confused over who is covering Alves and Fabregas, so Alves returns the ball. The backline moves to put Messi offside:

Xavi again one-touch passes, this time to Fabregas, and moves to cover the option inside the box since Messi is offside (so ineligible to be passed to). Alves moves to make Fabregas the center of a wheel:

Fabregas one-touch lobs the ball over the defensive backline into the box for Xavi so that when Xavi reaches it, Messi is onside and completely unguarded:

Xavi surely intends to pass to Messi, but his poor first touch incidentally nutmegs (goes between the legs of) the goalkeeper and scores a goal:

Throughout this exchange, wheels are constantly being formed, Xavi is always thinking one step ahead of the opponents and Messi provides a key distracting factor while doing virtually nothing. ¡Visca el Barca!