The Kane-inspired tactic undoing Barcelona

Barcelona person mislaid their latest 2 games and location is simply a Harry Kane-inspired tactical tweak that teams are utilizing to create chances against them this season.

Budding strikers are often advised to salary attraction to protect lines and enactment onside.

However, successful nan master crippled location are forwards who deliberately inhabit offside positions successful bid to people later connected successful attacking moves.

PSG precocious hit Barcelona successful nan Champions League arsenic striker Goncalo Ramos scored a 90th-minute winner.

When discussing really nan extremity happened, Ramos said: "I deliberation a batch astir beating a precocious line. Against Barcelona, [there is] a video of Harry Kane, I deliberation 2 years ago, and he did thing for illustration I did connected nan goal, and he scored."

But what did he mean by this?

Interestingly, some Ramos and Kane were capable to people against Barcelona's precocious protect statement by initially waiting successful an offside position, thing defenders aren't utilized to.

Kane's extremity turned into a specified consolation arsenic Bayern Munich lost 4-1 to Barcelona successful October 2024, but it highlighted a protect fallibility.

Thomas Muller has antecedently spoken astir attackers positioning themselves successful this way.

Long-serving Bayern Munich guardant Muller, who near astatine nan extremity of past play to subordinate Vancouver Whitecaps, said: "It is easier to take sides a feline that comes to nan shot because past nan striker is successful beforehand of them. They tin spot and take sides him.

"But erstwhile you person a feline that is [behind you], you ever person to move [but] you don't want to springiness up your offside line."

The different positioning disrupts cardinal defenders and removes immoderate of nan devices they usage to marshal their opposing striker.

Barcelona look to drawback opponents offside and arsenic a consequence nan defenders look nan ball, looking to measurement up nan pitch.

PSG past week - and Bayern earlier them - had players facing Barcelona's extremity pinch their weight and momentum successful nan correct direction, fresh to tally successful behind.

This made it difficult for Barcelona's defence to recover. Having to move earlier accelerating again reduces really quickly they tin get backmost to take sides their goal.

This problem has been made worse pinch nan strikers having a caput commencement successful their offside position. In nan lawsuit of nan Ramos and Kane goals, nan wide players successful PSG's Achraf Hakimi and Bayern's Serge Gnabry besides had nan gait to spell beyond nan Barcelona defence.

In some examples, nan shot was switched to a quicker wide subordinate moving successful behind. Crucially, they were onside erstwhile nan walk was played to them, while nan comparatively slower striker caused uncertainty centrally, successful an offside position.

This strategy helps teams to people against Barcelona's precocious statement moreover if they don't person nan paciest striker, by alternatively looking to merchandise their quicker wide players first successful onside positions.

With nan maneuver deployed, some strikers moved towards nan backmost station alternatively than coming towards nan ball, giving them clip to move into an onside position arsenic nan wide players carried nan shot up nan pitch.

The cardinal attacker's positioning towards nan backmost station allowed for nan walk to beryllium played into abstraction for them to meet, pinch clip for nan walk to curl backmost towards them and distant from nan goalkeeper.

From their first offside position, nan strikers - now onside - were capable to support an advantage successful bid to person nan shot uncontested for a clear show of goal.

The similarities successful some goals analysed are stark, but examples of this strategy person not been constricted to these 2 games.

Concerningly, Barcelona person conceded akin chances against nan likes of Levante, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla successful nan convention this season.

Sevilla hit Barcelona 4-1 connected Sunday.

Given really effective nan maneuver has proven, it is apt much teams will statesman to instrumentality it, against Barcelona and teams who play pinch precocious lines successful general.