This is the formation many believe Barcelona are still more suited to, and there’s a consistent problem with selecting Cesc Fabregas for big games like these – it’s almost counter-productive. On paper, it makes perfect sense to include an extra midfielder to ensure dominance in big matches. It was an approach Pep Guardiola used consistently, often including Seydou Keita in the left-of-centre midfield position and pushing Iniesta wide.
The problem with Fabregas, however, is that he’s suited for the exact opposite type of match. His anarchic, English-style play (at least compared to the other midfielders) is most useful in games against relative minnows, where Barca are dominating possession against a parked bus, and find the use of another midfield runner very useful. He doesn’t quite fit into Barca’s pretty passing patterns, but is more of a goalscoring threat than any other midfielder.
In the big games, though, is doesn’t make sense to include a player like this. Big games often bypass Fabregas, and when the tempo of matches is high, he’s not actually particularly effective despite being that type of player himself. Everyone is forced to play a high tempo, and Fabregas’ USP has gone.
Equally problematic is the fact it changes the position of others. Iniesta can be useful on the left but plainly prefers not to play there, while Neymar isn’t anywhere near effective on the right as on the left. Barcelona’s equaliser summed it up – it was a ‘classic’ Barcelona goal featuring a through-ball and a finish from a wide forward, Iniesta to Neymar. Before the change, Iniesta wouldn’t have been in that position to play the pass, nor would Neymar have been there to finish – he’d switched to the left after Alexis Sanchez’s introduction.