Since the arrival of Flick, Cules all over the world have enjoyed some exciting and scintillating matches in La Liga and in Europe. But, with Flick there seems to be a pattern when it comes to knockout football during his tenure in Barcelona. Often two-legged ties require that a team change the way they prepare for a match, since they must factor either a return or away leg. We’ve seen that against Inter last year, and last night against Atletico Madrid, Flick continues with his high line, regardless of the situation happening in the game.
Against Atletico Madrid this Barcelona team was missing important players through the pitch. The absences of Pedri and Raphinha reduced Barcelona’s pressing cohesion and tempo control, increasing the risk associated with maintaining a high defensive line. Furthermore, Olmo, who is an exciting player when on the ball but does not offer much in terms of pressing, was stationed out left ahead of Balde; another player who is not known for his defensive capabilities. This structural imbalance repeatedly isolated Balde against Simeone in wide transition moments, a pattern that directly preceded Atlético’s first-half goals. Barcelona’s high line is effective when counter press timing is precise. Against Atlético, delayed counter pressing and narrow defensive spacing created repeated vertical outlets into wide channels. Without immediate pressure on the first forward pass, the defensive line was exposed to direct pace in isolation.
At times, Barcelona’s defensive line was positioned entirely in Atletico’s half of the pitch, playing narrowly and allowing space in the flanks for both of Atletico’s speedy wings to bombard. When Atletico finally decided to sit back and counter, all their build up took place on the flanks, with constant long passes to both Simeone and Lookman. The current structure produces high-scoring matches, but it also increases volatility — a dangerous trade-off in knockout football. I enjoy watching this club lift trophies, and if Barcelona are to compete for trophies, structural flexibility in high-stakes knockout scenarios may be necessary.
