4 Tactical Changes Ronald Koeman Made In FC Barcelona’s 4-0 Win Against Gimnastic

FC Barcelona kicked off their pre-season with a comfortable 4-0 win against Gimnastic on Wednesday.

From a tactical perspective it was obvious Ronald Koeman is already trying new things.

Here are four tactical changes we noticed in Barca’s win against Nastic:

Riqui Puig Starting

It’s only a pre-season game, though, but seeing Riqui Puig from the start was a breath of fresh air.

The young Spaniard started only 2 La Liga games last season. However, it now seems Koeman has buried the hatchet and is set to give Puig more minutes this season.

Another reason for this could be Puig is Koeman’s contingency plan in Moriba’s absence.

4-3-3

Koeman played a 4-3-3 formation throughout the game. The gaffer often prefers 3-5-2 or 3-4-3. Fans hated it.

Hopefully, the Dutch has come to his senses and will stick to Barca’s traditional 4-3-3 from now on.

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Demir as right-winger

Another interesting thing we spotted was Barca’s new boy Yusuf Demir, who started the game as a right-winger. The Austrian can play from either wing or in the centre like Ansu Fati.

Apparently, Koeman is already testing out a young deputy for Fati or a replacement for Griezmann, maybe.

Sergi Roberto In The Midfield

This was a difficult tactical decision to understand – Koeman started Sergi Roberto among his midfield trio.

It’s either he was testing out the versatility of the Spaniard or the absence of midfielders forced his hand.

Seeing Sergino Dest and Alejandro Balde playing together as full-backs was also cheering. Hopefully, the pair can blossom in 2021-22.