Alright, so today I decided to dig into how Las Palmas set themselves up against Barcelona.
First thing I did was grab my laptop and plop down at the kitchen table – coffee definitely needed. I was curious about how this smaller team tries to handle a giant like Barça, especially at home. Loaded up the recording of the match from a couple days ago, the full game.
Starting Simple
Hit play, obviously. I just watched the first 10 minutes straight through, no pauses, trying to get a feel for their shape without the ball.
- Las Palmas kept it super, super compact.
- Seriously deep. Like, their back line was practically camping near their own penalty box most of the time Barça had possession.
- Two guys up front? Basically on their own island, just hanging out waiting for a long ball maybe.
It wasn’t sexy football, that’s for sure. But you kinda get why they did it.
Trying to Spot Patterns
Okay, pause button time. Rewound a few times. Wanted to see what those midfielders in the middle were actually doing.
- Their guys in the middle? Packed in tight, forming a little wall.
- It looked like a clear 4-5-1 most of the time Barça had the ball in their half.
- When Las Palmas somehow got the ball back? They tried to scoot it wide fast. Pushed their wingers up the sides quickly. Messy, but direct.
- Really noticeable – they didn’t bother pressing Barça’s center backs much at all. Only jumped if someone played a lazy pass.
Made notes on a scrap paper, arrows and lines all over, looked like a toddler drew it. Coffee helped.
Watching the Squeeze
Kept watching, specifically looking at how Las Palmas handled Barça getting close to their box.
- Total turtle mode.
- Defenders practically on top of their goalie.
- Midfielders dropping back in too, trying to smother the space. Not much room for fancy Barça dribbling.
- They mostly tried to close down Gavi and Lewandowski quickly inside the danger zone.
Honestly, it was kinda frustrating to watch from an attacking perspective, but you had to admire the stubbornness.
The Downside
Saw the big problem, though. Felt kinda bad for them.
- All that defending? Made them so slow getting forward when they actually won the ball.
- Those front two guys (or sometimes just the one)? Totally isolated. Looked lonely up there.
- Gave the ball away way too easily trying those hopeful long balls out of defence. Barça just gobbled it up and came back.
That’s where Barça eventually broke ‘em down – just relentless possession wearing them out, forcing one tiny mistake.
Wrapping it Up
Finished the replay, finished my coffee. Las Palmas played super deep, super narrow, super stubborn. It worked okay for large chunks, made Barça work hard to find gaps. They stuck to the plan tightly. Hats off to that discipline.
But man, the lack of any real threat going forward? Made it super tough. Once Barça scored, you just knew getting anything back was gonna be a huge ask. Simple plan, executed pretty well defensively for a long time, but ultimately no real bite. Interesting to see how a smaller team tries to shackle the giants!