Luis Enrique has hinted that Barcelona could stick with a 3-4-3 after the formation was successfully experimented against Deportivo La Coruna.
An injury to Sergi Roberto for the visit of Depor in La Liga on Saturday saw Enrique opt for three centre-backs instead of recalling Aleix Vidal – a tactical change that seemed to pay dividends as Barca cruised to a 4-0 victory.
“You saw Leo come back and also at full throttle,” the Coach said after the game.
“Variants to our game? They’re things that can always cause problems for the opposing Coach because I look at Manchester City and I know they have many possibilities to offer.
“At half-time, we were 3-0 up and I reminded the team that our opponents were able to overturn a 2-0 in the last two years, so we had to play with intelligence.
“The team came back out calmly and did what they had to do.
“I’m very satisfied because the lads have shown they can read different types of games and do so without any problems. This makes us more unpredictable and much richer tactically.
“Alcacer? We all know that strikers want to score goals, but it’s true that against Depor he had no luck.
“What reassures me is that in training he scores goals and in games he gets many chances.
“I’m sure he’ll score many goals for Barcelona, but it’s clear that he’s finding it hard at first, as did Luis Suarez. The support from the stands encouraged him at all times.
“Three at the back against City? Mascherano is very quick, Mathieu is the quickest and Pique is very quick despite his height.
“I won’t say how we’ll play, but obviously it’s a possibility because the players are understanding the 3-4-3 perfectly well.”
