Hansi Flick’s Barcelona plays with a high defensive line that has completely revolutionised the way Barça attacks and defends. A tactic deemed too risky at the start of the season continues to give Hansi Flick success till now. But why does the German manager want his defenders so high up the pitch, and why does it work?
Numerical superiority in midfield
By pushing the defenders closer to the halfway line, they can act as midfielders. This usually happens with the two full-backs moving wide and ahead, with the centre-backs ready to distribute the ball whenever required. They do all this while the play is in the opposition box, which gives them security to try risky passes without making an error. Barcelona can launch wave after wave of attack with this tactic because it allows the midfielders to keep the ball most of the time. They can pass it back to the nearby centre-back and get it back when under pressure, and the play remains in the opposition box. Gegenpressing is a huge part of Hansi Flick’s play style, and a defensive high-line aids that. By keeping the defensive line high, Barcelona makes the pitch vertically compact. This means that the midfielders and forwards can press the opposition immediately as they will be nearby due to less room. This forces an error out of the opposition and allows Barca to regain possession as soon as possible.
Catching them offside
The veteran Inigo Martinez and the prodigy kid Pau Cubarsi have mastered the art of offside. The centre-back pairing has continuously disappointed attackers who attempt to make runs past them. This tactic, combined with the defensive high-line, allows Barcelona to keep most of the play in the opposition half. No club in the world has drawn more offside than FC Barcelona. Many clubs across Europe have been victims of this tactic by Hansi Flick, including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, and Dortmund.
Examples of the high line’s success
Against Bayern Munich, the defensive high-line not just helped Barca in attack but also when defending. There were a lot of instances when Bayern Munich tried to catch Barcelona off guard by playing a through ball over the defense. This trick paid off only once when Kane scored a goal from a cross to bring Bayern level with Barça.
Against Real Madrid in La Liga when Barcelona won 4-0, the high line made Real Madrid’s front three completely useless. Kylian Mbappe alone was caught offside 8 times. Even after scoring and celebrating to mock Barca’s offside trap, the Frenchman was met with disappointment when the flag was raised. The two teams could also possibly meet in the UCL final this season.
Although fans, including me, were sceptical of this risky tactic’s consistency in the start of the season. Hansi Flick has turned doubters into admirers with his discipline and focus in executing his plans. Hopefully, this trend keeps on repeating, and Hansi Flick will lead Barcelona to big titles this season.