Introduction
In my journeyman save, I started unemployed in Santa Cruz in Chilean Second Division, got promoted, moved to the local big club O'Higgins, won the Primera División and managed to qualify from the Copa Libertadores group twice, beating powerhouses like Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Corinthians, and Boca Juniors along the way. Then, I was offered a position at Barcelona. However, it was the women team. I accepted the challenge. Even though the season was already underway, it had just begun.With the vast amount of talent in hand and the Barcelonian DNA, I decided to play my own version of the high-pressing high-tempo 4-3-3 with a lot of fluidity that also promotes individual excellence.
The results surpassed any expectations I might have had. I won the league winning all games but 3, losing none. I had 859 shots on goal, when the second team (Real) had just over 500. Our goal difference? +100. Biggest win? 13:2!
On top of that, we've won the Cup, the Super Cup and the Champions League. The final was a real thriller. We defeated Chelsea 4:3 after a 94th minute goal by the GOAT Aitana Bonmati - the female Messi.
So how did we achieve it - my ladies and I?
Formation
We played a 4-3-3 DM Wide in possession, retracting to 4-1-4-1 without ball.
In the build-up, the full backs invert to the middle, creating a de-facto 2-3-5 attacking shape. In defence, they don't press, but wait for the winger patiently and hold position. The only player pressing forward on top of the team instuctions is the left centre mid.
The mentality of choice is Positive, with occasional changes to Balanced/Attacking, rarely Cautious. But Positive is really what works best - even against big teams.
The team
In possession, we played what I like to call "vertical tiki-taka on steroids", which means adding more intensity, speed and magic to the regular VTT style. Thus, we passed the ball shorter, but with higher tempo. We avoided wasting time and initiated quick counter attacks. We compressed the width as much as we could by playing extremely narrow, kept the ball in play and encouraged more individual expression.
In the build-up, we played through the press, and executed goal kicks quickly to centre-backs with a short pass.
We didn't focus play in any specific area of the pitch, nor did we encourage playing to feet or into space. However, we limited mindless long shots and crosses, with individual exceptions.
I also added underlaps on both sides and more dribbling.
Without ball, we pressed high with extreme intensity (including the opposing goalkeeper), and counter-pressed when we lost the ball. The defensive line was set to high.
All in all - it's a high-tempo high-creativity ultra-narrow short-passing fun tactic to play.
The players
Individual roles are tactically based, but specific instructions were selected more to match the specific profiles of the players I have - so you might want to tweak it to your personnel's strength and weaknesses.
The goalkeeper - Cata Coll - voted the best keeper in the world - played a modern ball-playing / sweeping role. Unfortunately, that cost us a bizarre goal in the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, when she dribbled all the way to the half line, only to be dispossed by Alessia Russo, who scored from 40 metres to an empty net (to be honest, she is instructed to dribble less and ease off tackles, but she still did it). However, if we forget that one blunder, Cata was instrumental all along the season.
The centre-back pair are two classic ball playing defenders. The only difference between them is that Mapi Leon was instructed to dribble less and tackle harder, Alice Sombath - one of the hardest training people in my team with her training rating oscillating around 9,00 every week - didn't have her dribbling limited more than necessary, but was additionally asked to mark tighter.
As I mentioned before - the full backs play as inverted wing backs, de facto playing as DMs in possession. Julie Blakstad on the left was asked to cut inside with ball and shoot more often, but also to make fewer runs forward and tackle harder. On the opposite side - Ona Battle also cut inside with ball, but had a much more progressive role, with more forward runs and more dribbling and risky passes encouraged. Defensively, she also tackled harder and also marked tighter.
The metronome of the team - the "female Busquets" - was Patricia Guijarro. In her deep-lying playmaker role she scored 8 goals and assisted 9. Apart from hard-coded role instructions, I encouraged her to shoot more often.
Then the two midfielders - our long-haired Xavi and Iniesta - the legendary Alexia Putellas and Claudia Pina. On the right - we have Alexia - who at the tender age of 35 noted 57 goal contributions in 38 games, playing as an MC! I encouraged her to roam from position, shoot more often and play very direct passes, as well as take it easy when it comes to tackling. Her role is to create, score, and cause havoc by unpredictable greatness. And that's what she did.
Her partner on the left, however, was a different story. Claudia Pina with just 12 acceleration was not really my idea of a runner, but my first tests of playing with three playmakers and no runner didn't end well. I needed someone to run into the final third from deep. And it had to be Claudia. To be fair to hair, she trained hard and even though already approaching 30 soon, she managed to increase her acceleration 13 with my specialized training eventually. Playing as a left centre mid, Pina scored 38 goals. As a midfielder! Molding her into the runner role, I told her to move into channels, dribble more, make more runs forward, shoot more often, and take more risks. Just like Putellas, I told her to ease off tackles. However, additionally I asked her to press more out of possession - by giving her the pressing central midfielder role.
Now the wingers. Since my full backs were tucking inside, I needed two ladies who can provide width in attack, but who could also retract to a more defensive role out of possession when needed, forming a 4-1-4-1. On the left I played Esmee Brugts, who scored 16 and assisted 19. I asked her to stay wider, run wide with ball, dribble more, make more forward runs and shoot more often. I didn't add any special out of possesion instructions, but Esmee is comfortable playing anywhere on the left, including a left back, so she was fine.
The right side needed minor tweaks. At first I also choose a winger role, but since here I had the "female Messi" - the multiple time Ballon d'Or winning gem of Aitana Bonmati, I had to give her a more responsible job. The Spanish legend scored 20 and assisted 9, so her numbers were not as high as I wished, but she was the clutch player. She scored the winning goal in the Champions League final and was always there when I needed someone to do the magic. I played her as a wide forward, with additional instructions to stay wider but - unlike Brugts - cut inside with ball. Of course, I also asked her to do more dribbles and risky passes. Additionally, I gave her roaming freedom and relieved her of tackling duties.
So all in all - on the left we had a running combo of Pina attacking from the deep and a classic winger in Brugts, but on the right we had the magical duo of Putellas and Bonmati, who had absolute freedom to do whatever they wanted.
And finally the striker - in that role I played Salma Paralluelo, even though I signed Barbra Banda - the African legend - on a free transfer, and Ewa Pajor was still only 32 and could also step in. Salma played a lone channel striker, whose role was not to be the typical number 9, but also to give space to people like Alexia and Aitana. I also asked her to dribble more and make more runs. She scored 21 and assisted 10.
