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Lowest quality of chances in the last 5 seasons, lowest average non-penalty goals and deep completions since 15/16. Under Setién, Barça's possession hasn't been able to improve quality and volume of its attacking output.
The former Betis manager came in to improve the speed of transitions, to increase the ability to create spaces and the quality of the chances taken. However, Setién hasn't been able to achieve any of this.
Under his tenure, Barça's possession served more like a tool to avoid the opponents' threats rather than as a weapon to create danger in the last 30 meters.
The quality of the chances conceded is the second lowest since 15/16 as the average number of non-penalty goals conceded, while np xG (0.68) and deep completions conceded (5.95) have never been as low as under Setién.
Barça's defensive effectiveness hasn't although been able to compensate the difficulties in possession. The number of smart passes went down to 4.41 per game (the lowest average in the last 5 seasons) as players limited risky passes to avoid the opponents' counterattacks.
The burden of creation consequently fell on the sole shoulders of Messi whose frustration became evident after the Camp Nou defeat against Osasuna.
The gap between expectations and results makes it difficult for Setién to defend his work at Barça. His impact on the team has been limited by the resources available but the struggles seen in the attacking third can't be tolerated. Not at Barça.
