""We are Barça and we want to play our football," said Hansi Flick after the draw against Club Brugge, a game in which the Catalans' defensive line showed its most vulnerable version. The Barcelona coach's message was that he would win or lose, but always with his ideas. This season, the team is not executing the high defensive line and the offside trap with the same level of success as last season."
"To work on defensive structure, Flick and one of his assistants, Heiko Westermann, who is mainly responsible for this area, make use of the giant screen installed at the training pitch. They project videos to review and correct actions that have occurred. The adjustments made with the defensive line are mainly about when to step up or drop back and how to maintain proper body positioning. One of the conclusions reached by the coaching staff regarding defensive vulnerability this season is that the ball must be pressed much more aggressively."
Barcelona's defensive structure and pressing have deteriorated compared with last season, undermining the high defensive line and offside trap. Hansi Flick and assistant Heiko Westermann use a giant screen at training to project videos and correct positioning, timing to step up or drop back, and body orientation. Coaching staff concluded that pressing must be more aggressive, and errors higher up the pitch when losing the ball expose the defense. Goalkeepers Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny record the most defensive actions outside the penalty area among the five major European leagues, requiring intensive analytical and video-based work overseen by Jose Ramon de la Fuente and Flick. After 16 matches last season opponents were caught offside 105 times; the number has dropped this season.
Read at Barca Universal
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