FC BARCELONA : What you should know

Cruyff was the beginning of the tactical era for barcelona. Though they wouldn’t play short passing like the way Guardiola used to, they played more directly. They played with three at the back predominantly, this is because he liked to keep as many defenders as forwards( i.e. as few as he could). In his system, the number 4 was one of the most important, as he would recycle the ball between the defenders and the rest of the midfield and play it out wide into more space. This system asked the players to widen the pitch and create spaces while attacking while it required players to play narrow while defending. Controlling possession and tempo of the game was utmost priority and they would press urgently upon loosing the ball. 

He said:

The difference between a good and bad footballer is how well you control the ball and where you place it with your first touch, accommodating it for yourself in the right direction or sending it accurately to your team-mate

—Johan Cruyff

Guardiola

Guardiola who was the vital cog and one of his most devoted disciple. Though he differed in some principles, he followed the same essence.

Guardiola’s system usually followed a 4–3–3 on paper. But while attacking, the full backs would play very high, hence the CDM would drop deep to help the two CBs both in build up and defence. The players were very creative but they had certain restrictions except in the final third. As Guardiola would say, his job was to bring the team to the final third and then it was their creativity that would put them on the score sheet

The basic principle was finding a three man combination (i.e. two players other than the one with the ball), forming triangles to provide pass lanes. They almost always played short passes in triangles, with the forwards sometimes making false runs to create space. Though Messi would be named a forward, he would often drop deep to help in midfield which would drag defenders out of positions and allowing spaces for the other forwards. He would be one of the only few in the system who would be free to form the third cog in a triangle, where as the other players had to stay in and around their zone.

On the left would be iniesta and the left back, while the right side would have Xavi and the right back, this would help create overload and 2v1 situations especially against 4–4–2 formations. The forwards, either one usually, would make runs towards the goal to give the celebrated barça trio space, while the other would be ready to receive a pass. Here usually Xavi used to play as a regista (hence controlling possession) and iniesta higher up.

But pep repeatedly suggests that analysts overthink the tactics and he doesn't consider requesting players to form triangles or pay tiki taka (as such he seems to be ballantly against tiki taka).

The way they were playing, it felt as if they were communicating with each other, not with talking but with the ball. They were special, every player in the field was directly making another player look a thousands times better. I can confidently tell you that Barcelona is the first team that played as collective unit rather than relying on their star players or galacticos. People may assume that Barcelona relied on Messi even back in 2009–2012 but those are all lies, Barcelona did not depend on a single player, but on their squad and importantly on their philosophy.

Unlike, many clubs, they had a reverse sponsorship deal with UNICEF. This should not be taken lightly, in this is a big meaning for those with a observant mind (obviously not for Lord Bartomeu), this was to show the whole world that football isn't about money but rather about trusting your homegrown talents and that talent will always beat money.

All in all, they were truly displaying their motto, "Mes Que Un Club".