FC Barcelona got their La Liga campaign off to a winning start against Valencia at the Mestalla to kickstart the Hansi Flick era. The German coach made quite a few interesting decisions and in the end, his team secured the three points.
Despite the victory, Flick will know that his team was lucky not to concede more goals and got rather lucky in the first half. Barcelona were overrun in the first half but improved their control in the second half.
Flick threw a curveball when he named his starting XI, handing Ferran Torres a surprise start and lining up with four attackers on paper. However, Raphinha was tasked with operating as a midfielder which the Brazilian did to good effect.
There were a lot of interesting things to pick from the game against Valencia and we at Barca News Network bring you three talking points from the 2-1 win.
1. A return to the traditional 4-3-3
Throughout Hansi Flick’s managerial career, the German coach has lined his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a double pivot. Even during pre-season, he set Barcelona up in the same formation with Marc Casado and Marc Bernal as the two sitting #6s.
Against Valencia though, Flick decided to do something interesting by returning to a traditional Barcelona 4-3-3 formation. Marc Bernal operated as a single pivot while building up, often dropping in between Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez to form a back three.
Marc Casado played as a more traditional #8 along with Raphinha with the two tasked with going forward and combining with the wingers (Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal) to help out in attack. The structure did not play out as expected in the first half but the players started understanding it better in the second.
It might have been something Flick could have decided based on how Valencia set up but very early on his managerial career here, the German coach has showcased his tactical nous and shown that he isn’t against changing things up based on the opponent.
2. Immense trust in La Masia
Xavi Hernandez certainly trusted La Masia but Hansi Flick has taken it to a whole new level. It’s quite rare to see a foreign coach place as much trust in the Barcelona academy as the German is doing in his early days.
Flick’s starting XI against Valencia comprised of three 17-year-olds and two 20-year-olds. Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde are all La Masia graduates. Off the bench, Gerard Martinez and Eric Garcia were also afforded opportunities.
It takes quite some courage from the head coach to start the inexperienced Marcs in midfield in his first-ever official game in charge when the easier option would be to play one of Andreas Christensen or Eric Garcia there.
The German has sent a clear message that he isn’t afraid to give youngsters a chance as long as they show that they belong at this level. If this is a sign of things to come from Flick, exciting times lie ahead for La Masia.
3. Persistent pressing for 90 minutes
One key takeaway from Barcelona’s game against Valencia was the stark difference in physical level between the two teams. The Catalan club has almost always come second best in this regard in recent seasons.
In hot and trying circumstances at the Mestalla, Barcelona including Robert Lewandowski pressed non-stop for 90 minutes. Valencia players looked tired after the hour mark but Handi Flick’s team kept going.
Raphinha looked to have covered every blade on the pitch in the 90 minutes. Marc Casado looked tireless in what was a performance that reminded one of Bernardo Silva. Jules Kounde, like always looked like he could have played for another straight ninety minutes.
Hansi Flick’s team has clearly put in a lot of effort in pre-season to make sure that the team is right up there physically and it’s a good sign of things to come.
