Amidst the dominance: Mariona is Barcelona's creative catalyst towards total supremacy
Amidst the dominance: Mariona is Barcelona's creative catalyst towards total supremacy
Mariona has been partially shadowed by her flashier teammates. But, she is the spark to Barcelona's attack.
The year 2021 has been a massive step forward for women’s football.
The level of performances across the board have increased and each domestic league is starting to produce more high-quality competitions and teams. This has created even more competition between the elites and no team defines this more so than Barcelona. They are still by far the best team in the continent, but Lyon, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Wolfsburg are showing signs of progression to really push the case for an unpredictable UEFA Women’s Champions League this season and beyond.
The Catalan team have grown in stature and have now become the best club side in women’s football. The collective impact of Barcelona’s individuals has been well documented and in none more so than La Masia product Alexia Putellas. Indeed, the dynamic midfielder deserves all the plaudits including the coveted Ballon d’Or title.
In truth, no one deserved this award more than Putellas but any Barcelona player winning it would have been heralded as such, just because of their collective accomplishments. Her teammate Lieke Martens won the best player in Europe, but there is one player that has been undeniably the creative lynchpin of Barcelona’s attack: Mariona Caldentey.
Mariona has been the team’s heartbeat, the one that makes them tick in attacking transitions. She exudes Barcelona’s DNA in the way she sets herself through her exquisite movement, positioning, and most impressively, her intelligence.
Even the change of coach from Lluís Cortés to Jonathan Giraldez hasn’t deterred Mariona and Barcelona from their free-flowing attacking football. While she didn’t get the official plaudits, Mariona should be 2021’s player of the season and I’ll explain why.
The Spanish forward’s performances in 2021 have been nothing short of exemplary and they’ve caught the eye of most fans who witnessed Barcelona’s marvellous year. Mariona’s style of play is very much in line with the ethos of Barcelona’s tiki-taka core principles. She is a player that has come in and slotted into the left wing position, playing a playmaker role by using a combination of inside movements and smart passes.
Barcelona’s style hasn’t really evolved since the transition from Cortés to Giráldez. This has meant the players have been able to continue playing in a familiar style. Everyone knows their roles whilst being afforded what is perceived to be complete freedom of movement, and this is typified by none more so than Mariona.
The 4-3-3 gives Barcelona numerical superiority in the middle whilst asking their full-backs to provide width. This means the wide players have the freedom to drop into spaces between the lines and operate in and around the midfielders and striker. They understand their roles perfectly and each player has the intelligence to adjust their game if part of the plan fails.
Mariona’s role as a wide playmaker means she tends to drop inside but it only works because Aitana Bonmatí and Patricia Guijarro are disciplined enough to create a base for the others to operate with whilst Jenni Hermoso (or whoever is playing as the centre-forward) moves into spaces.
Her vision and intelligence in all aspects of play create the foundation of what she offers on the pitch. Silky movement, intelligent positioning, and exceptional vision have been at the forefront of her game.
A Raumdeuter or ‘space interpreter’ is an appropriate way to describe Mariona. The role made famous by Thomas Müller, the Catalan attacker excels at analysing space, maximising it.
All of these traits come with the added bonus of Mariona’s positional versatility. Though she’s naturally a left-winger, Mariona can slot in as a centre-forward or left-sided central midfielder.
Her positional versatility in this Barcelona system is merely an area of the pitch she starts at. In essence, this just gives her a starting point to move across the pitch and find intelligent spaces to receive and dictate play. Without having a strictly dedicated playmaker, Mariona takes up the role herself, allowing the central players to become much more attacking and effective in transitions.
The first pass map is Mariona (#9) playing as a left-sided central midfielder against Arsenal whilst the second pass map is their game against Valencia where she started as a left-winger.
What is most noticeable in both graphics is Mariona’s positioning that is very similar and one that elicits a desire to use the half-space to create space both laterally and horizontally. This gives Alexia Putellas (#11) and Fridolina Rolfo (#16) (in both cases) the space to push forward. Both times the central attacking midfielder and left-back are on either side of Mariona. It’s from here that Mariona can assertively receive and distribute.
Even here in this heat map, Mariona’s most active areas is between the lines in the left half-space, driving between the wide and central positions and dictating play from here. It’s in this area that Barcelona look to make the decisive pass.
So far, she’s averaging 0.18 Expected Assists (xA) against 0.39 assists per 90 minutes which means there is a level of overperformance, though it is realistically sustainable given the level of dominance Barcelona tend to assert against the opposition and on recent evidence, there is no sign of this slowing down. Unless teams figure out a way to stifle Barcelona’s supply into Mariona or the player herself, then there will be an onslaught of chances.
Another observation we can make of these pass maps is how high the team plays against higher quality opposition (Arsenal) and domestic rivals Valencia. This high line is the basis from which Barcelona are afforded to dominate both the game and possession whilst being in so much control.
Here against Arsenal, Mariona drops deep to receive a diagonal pass from Mapi Leon. One of the reasons for the drop into space is to lure Arsenal forward and force them to step up to open up some spaces. This triggers two Arsenal midfielders to press Mariona which then signals Putellas to drive the full-back away that then allows Asisat Oshoala to make the final run, which is then met by a Mariona line-breaking pass.
“Mariona is a player who can always give you something different and she will be [the] most important player for us” - Alexia Putellas
There is a deep appreciation from observers for her skills on the ball, and it’s not just how she has an eye for a pass as we have to also recognise how the Barcelona midfielder has superior off-the-ball vision and intelligence which is how she affects the game.
Creative midfielders/forwards are often touted for their ball control but Mariona is effectively mobile which enables her to make intelligent movements to get into goal-scoring positions or create space for others. No one embodies individualism and creative freedom in a wide position quite like Mariona, and in a system that infuses systematic freedom, the attacker becomes a perfect jewel in a crown already full of gems.
This is Mariona’s shot map from her last 75 shots for the current season and it’s obvious that the midfielder is constantly trying to move into central positions to affect the game. Though her starting position is wider, Mariona will typically drive inside to try and find a better angle to shoot if there is no passing option available.
A lot of her actions show that she’s equally involved in and out of the box. Taking up smart positions in the 18-yard box is the type of versatility that leads to goals. If a shot is taken, you can be sure that Mariona will be around to capitalise.
The Catalan midfielder is one of the most exciting players in full flow – gliding past players with ease, breaking defences at will. As Putellas puts it, Mariona can give something ‘different’, and that makes her such an important member of the first team.
This goal against Arsenal is an example of Mariona’s ability to affect the game from several positions, both on and off the ball. Here, she starts off in a deeper wide position playing Oshoala which then prompts an exchange with Putellas. After the Nigerian striker takes a shot, Mariona has the presence of mind to continue her run and pounce on the loose ball after Manuela Zinsberger’s save. This again conforms to Mariona’s intelligence in movement and positioning in the final third.
Mariona Caldentey has slowly gained recognition for the work and role she’s played in a trophy-rich year. Winning the UEFA Women’s Champions League in such dramatic and indeed emphatic fashion was the icing on what was already an impressive looking cake.
When you truly understand the fact that it is Mariona who pulls the strings for Barcelona, you start to notice the small intricacies to her game that leaves you in awe of her ability. Every touch, every turn, and movement is predetermined because players will always be in position. The Barcelona DNA is infused in every player and that makes her role seem effortless.
Mariona might not have won any individual awards but there is little doubt that she is the emphatic maestro of Barcelona and will no doubt be crucial in their quest for ultimate greatness.
Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images