Hansi Flick has transformed Barca into a side whose attacking brilliance has overshadowed the defensive flaws. The Catalans have occasionally been leaky in defense, and clean sheets have been rare. The Barcelona offence has been sensational, and the defense must be equally good, if not better. The question is: how will the Germans handle these spiking defensive issues?
Can Flick Instill Structural Discipline to Fix Barca’s Offside Trap Issues?
Flick’s high line requires an elite level of structural discipline. During his Bayern days, the German mastered the offside trap through synchronized pressing. The midfielders and defenders used to move as a unit and cut passing lanes before getting countered.
Now, at Barca, Flick has deployed this tactic again. However, it has not been perfected. Flick’s half-defensive issues will be eliminated if he drills structural discipline in his backline. In recent games, Inigo Martinez, as good as he is, has blundered a few times in this domain, and Flick must instill harmony in all of his players in the backline.
Barcelona Back Line: Can Flick Use Their Abilities to Perfection?
The Catalan defenders have unique defensive abilities. In this high-line context, Araujo has an amazing ability to track back with his pace and long strides. Cubarsi is not as quick as Araujo or Balde but is solid position-wise. The same could be said regarding Inigo, but the Spaniard has shown a few positional errors in recent games.
I think Flick can improve his defense by deploying a hybrid system. Inigo Martinez/ Cubarsi could be used as distributors and interceptors, while Araujo could be the man who cleans up behind. Players could be used according to their strengths, and defensive solidity will be maintained with the high line.
Should Flick Compromise Barca’s Attack to Improve the Backline?
Barcelona’s attacking brilliance has been innovative, but an interesting assumption could be made about this relentlessness. Is it compromising our defense? Due to the high line and offensive fullbacks, some opponents have been feasting on Barca on transitions.
So what could be the fix for it? I suggest sacrificing a forward when opponent teams have a low block. Let’s see how this structure would work. Lewandowski could be sacrificed in these situations as his role becomes increasingly low due to extremely tight spaces in the box. Flick could start with an extra midfielder and deploy a double pivot. This would provide extra defensive solidity and decrease counterattack threats. Yes, it would briefly dull the attacking edge, but the balance between offence and defence must be maintained.