Barcelona’s defensive problems can be solved through internal adjustments

After the 3-3 draw with Brugge in the Champions League, the issue of Barcelona's defense became the focus of heated discussion. In particular, coach Flick publicly criticized the team's midfield and frontcourt for insufficient pressure and lack of sufficient confrontation. As a result, the team's midfielder De Jong immediately responded through the media, saying that Barcelona's problem is that the defensive line is too high and it is easy for the opponent to counterattack.

It is true that under Flick's system, the back line is very high, even parallel to the center line. Therefore, in such a situation, the midfielder must have strong pressure and frequent physical confrontation, and even the striker must counterattack immediately to prevent the opponent from passing the ball easily and blocking counterattacks.

As Brugge are regulars in the Champions League, their passing and running are very good. Rashford does not return to defense, and De Jong only stands in position but does not attack, and the entire defensive logic is messed up.

After the game, Flick criticized the frontcourt defense for lacking enough pressure, but De Jong responded from afar during the interview: The back line was positioned too high, resulting in frequent counterattacks. If the coach's tactical logic cannot be implemented by the players, the problem will be huge.

To solve the problem, the first step is to wait until Raphinha comes back to replace Rashford's starting position. After all, Rashford once had poor defense when he was at Manchester United. Even though he scored 2 goals in the half, he was still replaced by the team coach Ten Hag at halftime.

After coming to Barcelona, ​​although Rashford's defensive attitude has improved compared to when he was at Manchester United, his defensive awareness and defensive skills are still unqualified. When you encounter a team that can pass the ball, you can find the loopholes left by Rashford, which also magnifies the problem of Barcelona's back line being too flat.

Another key point is to capture Garcia at the central defender position. Garcia has missed too many players in recent games.

Most of the counter-offside attempts were focused on Garcia's defensive zone to launch an attack. He resolutely implemented Flick's attempts to counter offside, but was repeatedly successfully countered by the opponent.

Barcelona should still give Christensen more trust after he is healthy. After all, the central defender cannot just cause offside and give up his position casually. He still needs to have a certain ability to block the ball frontally.

Although Barcelona currently seems to have many problems, as long as the main force returns and a suitable central defender is replaced, perhaps many problems can be sorted out. Flick's system is not structurally broken, but has a lot to do with the players' abilities.

Of course, Conde is in poor condition this season, and De Jong is no longer willing to be a good engineer. These problems may prevent Flick from returning to the track of last season. If you want to solve the problem, you may have to count on signings or another big surprise from La Masia.