Western media: Flick identified Barcelona’s problem, but refused to give up his high defense tactics

"Daily Sports": Barcelona's problems this season are obvious. 15 games, 10 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws. The record seems to be acceptable, but the defense has frequently "bleeded" - it has conceded 20 goals, with an average of 1.3 goals per game. This is the second-highest number of goals conceded in the same period this century, only better than the 23 goals conceded in the same period under Luis Enrique in the 2015-16 season.

After Bruges drew 3-3 away from home, coach Flick made it clear: He is aware of the problem, but will never give up his tactical philosophy - the high defense line is unshakable.

The failure of high-pressure pressing is the crux of the problem.

Flick explained that last season, opponents were often ruled invalid for offside, even if the difference was only a few centimeters, because the team executed it well; but now, these few centimeters are always on the opponent's side, because the quality of the team's frontcourt pressure has significantly declined. "The problem isn't the defense itself, it's that we're not pressuring the ball carrier effectively enough," he said.

However, although Frick's "diagnosis" was accurate, he could not find a "prescription" for a long time. On the one hand, the team has been plagued by injuries since the beginning of the season; on the other hand, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was appointed in critical situations, also failed to replicate his solid performance when Ter Stegen was absent last season.

The Polish goalkeeper took over as the main force after Ter Stegen was seriously injured. Although he made no fault, he failed to prevent three conceding goals in games like Bruges - one of which was even the same as the away game against Benfica last season. If not for VAR intervention, it would have been another low-level mistake.

Data shows that Barcelona's goal difference this season is only +20, far lower than +37 in the same period last season.

Set an embarrassing record: conceding goals in 9 consecutive games

Since Joan Garcia was injured, Szczesny has conceded goals in all 8 games he has played, and the team has failed to keep a clean sheet in 9 consecutive games. So far this season, Barcelona has only kept clean sheets against Mallorca, Valencia and Getafe.

According to statistics from Oriol Hove, the club’s historical data expert, Szczesny’s ​​number of consecutive concedings is second only to goalkeeper Miro in the 1941-42 season in Barcelona’s history – he conceded 19 consecutive games.

The overall defense is unbalanced, and the full-backs are weak points.

The goalkeeper or the defense cannot be entirely blamed for conceding 20 goals. In fact, the entire defense is hardly solid. The full-back combination that performed well last season has now declined significantly: Conde made frequent mistakes, and Balde almost became the "highway" for the opponent's offense in some games.

What's more important is that the two frequently stepped forward to press the opponent's wing, leaving a large space behind them. Once the opponent counterattacked, the defense immediately fell into passivity.

The central defender combination is also turbulent. Without the core of defense Inigo Martinez, Flick tried a variety of combinations: Araujo + Cubasi, Eric + Cubasi, and most recently Araujo + Eric. The effect fluctuates. Sometimes the defense as a whole works well together, but sometimes the offside trap fails due to the drag of individual players.

The midfield is out of control and the frontcourt pressure is weak.

In the midfield, Pedri's absence has a huge impact. Without him, Barcelona not only loses the rhythm of ball control and forward penetration, but also finds it more difficult to effectively connect the forward lines. More importantly, the current midfielders are unable to form an effective press, often allowing the opponent's organizer to calmly send through balls to penetrate the defense.

The striker also has problems. Raphinha's injury is particularly fatal - he is the forward who best understands the high pressing system in the team. Perhaps because of this, Flick was extremely angry when he relapsed after returning from injury.

At present, Rashford has contributed on the offensive end, but his defensive participation is almost zero; Ferran Torres has become the most active presser in the frontcourt due to Lewandowski's sluggish state and has been on the bench for a long time; while Yamal is troubled by osteitis pubis and must control his playing time. Even if Lewandowski comes on as a substitute, he will be unable to undertake high-intensity pressing tasks due to physical and state limitations.

Flick saw the problem clearly, but the key has not yet been found.

There are various signs that Flick is indeed aware of the team's crux - from defensive line positioning to midfield control, from frontcourt pressure to the impact of the wave of injuries. He constantly adjusted his lineup and tactics in 15 games, trying to find the optimal solution, but it never worked.

At the moment, he can only hope that the injured will return one after another after the international competition, helping the team get back on the track of victory, regain a smooth offensive, and truly have the strength to compete for various championships. Until then, the contradiction between the high defensive line and the fragile defense will still be a sharp sword hanging over Barcelona's head.