Barcelona told to switch formation after Clasico defeat to Real Madrid

""I think they want to push the front line, but they don't do it well enough. In addition to the lines, there needs to be a reasonable distance between the lines, about 10 meters. Otherwise, what happens is that there's a huge gap with the defensive line, and Madrid takes advantage of that because it leaves a huge gap," he wrote in his column for Mundo Deportivo."

""Given this situation I think Barça should use four midfielders, in a 4-4-2, but in a diamond formation. Now, when Barça loses the ball in midfield, it's a half-chance. In the Clásico, they were saved because there were offside calls; otherwise, they would have ended up with goal-scoring opportunities. "Now, they press hard, but they get too far away from the defense, and with Real Madrid in front of them, who are good, they play a long pass and that's it."

""It's not a question of accumulating more defenders, but rather of being well positioned on the field. For a teammate to be able to cover you, they have to be close. Madrid, for example, put a player on Pedri, and that ends up affecting the game.""

Barça attempts to push the front line but fails to maintain effective spacing, creating a roughly ten-meter gap between lines that Madrid exploits. The gap produces dangerous half-chances when possession is lost in midfield. A switch to a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond would provide closer support and reduce transitional vulnerabilities. Current aggressive pressing often leaves midfielders too far from the defensive line, allowing long passes to bypass the block. Defensive improvement requires better on-field positioning and proximity for teammates to cover each other rather than merely adding more defenders. Man-marking key players like Pedri disrupts Barca's structure.

Read at Barca Blaugranes