Barcelona has not begun the season well despite leading La Liga. The fans know this and so does the manager, as Ernesto Valverde is set to shake things up tactically for their upcoming Champions League game.
The Blaugrana kicked off the new campaign by winning their first five games in all competitions, including the 4-0 win over PSV in their Champions League opener. Since then, however, the club has gone without a victory in their last three ties, losing 2-1 to Leganes in between home draws with Girona and Athletic Bilbao.
Next up for the Catalan giant is a clash with Tottenham. Messi and Co. will visit the north London outfit with the hope of returning to winning ways, as another defeat could send their season into turmoil.
Valverde's plan for turning things around is switching up his formation. The Spaniard has favored a 4-3-3, with Ousmane Dembele joining Messi and Suarez in the attack, but will resort to a 4-4-2 for Wednesday's trip to Wembley, as predicted by Sport and a number of other sources.
[SPORT] | 4-4-2 against Tottenham
— BarcaTimes (@BarcaTimes) October 1, 2018
Valverde Meditates On A Change In System: It is proposed to leave Dembélé on the bench to reinforce the midfield and gain defensive reliability. pic.twitter.com/wFBC8TOiHY
Of the front three, the French World Cup winner will likely be dropped. The reason for this move is to play two midfielders ahead of the back-four that can offer defensive cover. They will be Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal, as Valverde looks to plug his leaky defense.
Coutinho and Rakitic are tipped to start on opposite ends of the flank in midfield. Barcelona's Argentina and Uruguayan goalscoring machines will likely spearhead the attack.
With Umtiti suspended due to his sending off in Matchday 1, Gerard Pique will be partnered with either Vermaelen or Lenglet, with the latter tipped to get a nod. Whether the two will gel at the back is unpredictable, but an improvement is needed, as the Spanish Primera Division champion aims to end their wait for European success.
