Posted by Stephen Kuzner

By Stephen Kuzner - WFD Fan Correspondent

"Dear Pep,



The Special one here. I wanted to drop you a quick note to say I know what you are doing. I figured you out last year and I am the Champion. Not you. I am on to you Mr. Pep, with you using all kinds of formations and systems. I am not fooled. Many different systems across your games, but the same style of play. You can not teach the teacher and I am the teacher. On the 28th, I will spring a trap on you and Barcelona that you haven't seen before. Also, when Madrid wins, I'll be ready for the sprinklers to be turned-on me with a raincoat and umbrella.



Sincerely,

Jose Mourinho"



I'd like to think I intercepted a note like this in the mail, but as far as I know, this kind of note is a work of fantasy. El Clásico looms in 22 days and talk has already been brewing. Xavi said that he hypothetically would not work well in Madrid. The pieces around him would not gravitate around his pivot. Gerard Piqué insists that Barca will continue to play their way until they die. Perhaps this is the beginning of the mind-games Pep will have Barca's players engage-in similar to the courting of Cesc Fàbregas. How entertaining would it be for Barca to get under Mourinho's skin the way they did with Arsène Wenger?

Yet, the note above lends insight into what Pep could be masterminding for Madrid, La Liga, and the Champions League. I've read many analysis's of Barcelona's tactics, systems, and formations this year whether it's their classic 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1, or whatever. I've even heard their shape resembling that of an old-timely W-W. If that sounds like a foreign language, read Jonathan Wilson's "Inverting the Pyramid" or his column for the Guardian. W-W is a 2-3-2-3 with the full-backs playing advanced on both sides. Don't worry if you haven't heard of this, it's from the 1930's. There is some validity with Wilson's argument, but I think we need to dig deeper.

Maxwell, Abidal, Piqué, Puyol, and Alves, can all attack and do get forward at different points. Busquets can drop-back as a center-back. Pedro, David Villa, and Messi all seem to have played in all three attacking spots. Many parts are inter-changeable. The formation doesn't matter. Our fictional Jose, is on to something. The possession-based, attacking, pressing, total-football style of Barcelona hasn't changed. Where every player ends-up executing the style is not important. At this point, a year removed from winning six trophies, what does matter is disguising the style and points of attack as much as possible.

A few weeks ago, I had a Facebook conversation with some friends about what formation/system Barcelona should use. The conversation was driven by how to best utilize Javier Mascherano. The result of the conversation is that we could come-up with a dozen line-ups and formations that looked good on paper. Pep Guardiola has already used most of them. As the season unfolds we'll see if the systems are red-herrings to conceal the style or just experimentations.


If you have feedback, email me at skuzner@gmail.com or Facebook me.