Prior to the October international break, Barcelona lost twice in a span of five days, the same amount they had previously suffered—excluding extra-time—through the entirety of 2025 so far.
A reality check in their home Champions League opener against reigning holders Paris Saint-Germain was followed up by a 4–1 humbling at the hands of a Sevilla team that was fighting for their La Liga life a season ago.
Barcelona went unbeaten through seven games to start the season. Nevertheless, underneath the surface of positive results, the eye test underlined a variety of issues that were unknown to the team that conquered a domestic treble a season ago.
Those issues were exposed for the world to see during the first week of October. Now, with a two week break, the expectation is that Flick’s found a way to address them prior to Saturday’s home bout against Girona.
But, what are the main cracks that have hindered Barcelona early in the season that Flick must fix?
The Infamous High Line
Flick’s aggressive, brave and trademark high defensive line caught opponents by surprise and brought tremendous success a season ago. Now, it’s become a problem.
Three games into the season, Iñigo Perez’s Rayo Vallecano flawlessly presented the recipe to bypass Barça’s defensive system: a center forward can roam behind the back line in an offside position and a diagonal pass is played to a runner down the wing. Once the runner gets the ball, he can play a cross to the now onside center forward who’s alone against the goalkeeper. It’s that easy.
Gonçalo Ramos’s game-winner and Sevilla’s second goal looked eerily similar.
The departure of Iñigo Martínez in the summer still looms large. The veteran was Barcelona’s defensive leader and the high-line commander. Without him, the Catalans still look disorganized at the back two months into the season.
It’s imperative Flick figures out a way to improve the coordination, distances and communication between his current center back options. Additionally, exploring a different defensive setup, especially late in games, that doesn’t require his defense to be constantly running towards their own goal should be in consideration.
The formula to beat Flick’s defensive system is out there and the best teams in the world won’t hesitate to utilize it. Barcelona lacks defenders comfortable playing in a low-block—tweaks to the high-line are necessary or Barcelona are doomed to continue conceding in the same, repeatable way.
Pressing Intensity
Much of the problems with Barcelona’s high-line begin up front. A season ago, Barcelona’s press was on par with the world’s best. This season, opponents have been able to play out of the back with alarming regularity.
Barcelona are a team designed to win the ball high up the pitch. It allows the team to recover the ball in advantageous positions to create danger seemingly out of thin air thanks to their attacking quality.
Perhaps even more importantly, recovering the ball quickly also allows Barcelona to save energy. Even if dangerous actions aren’t the result of winning the ball inside the halfway line, it does allow Barcelona to begin sustained possessions. If opponents are allowed to bypass the press, then every player is forced to constantly burn stamina tracking back to defend.
Raphinha had a career-year in front of goal a season ago, but his work-rate off the ball was arguably even more important. His absence due to injury over the past three games has been felt massively. It’s now up to the rest of the attackers to carry their weight in this regard.
It all starts with intensity. From the first game of the season, Flick was furious with his side’s effort. That issue has persisted through the first 10 games.
If Barcelona want to succeed and eclipse the benchmark they set a season ago, rediscovering their pressing intensity is a must.
The No. 10 Role
Contributions from the No. 10 role this season have been largely nonexistent for Barcelona.
Dani Olmo and Fermín López have been handed the bulk of the minutes, yet their combined five goal contributions came in lopsided wins against Getafe and Valencia—two of the weakest sides Barça have played so far.
Fermín has been sidelined for the last four games as he continues to battle injuries early in his career. He’s expected back soon after the break, which should give Barcelona a boost in attack.
But the biggest issue has been Olmo’s worrying form. During his second season with the Catalans, the Spain international has looked miles off the level he’s shown in the past. The silky, tight-space operator has been nowhere to be found recently, constantly struggling to create and finalize actions whilst also being a non-factor in Barça’s press.
The No. 10 role is crucial to Barcelona’s attacking success. Flick must find a way to unlock his creative players or Barcelona’s attack loses an important dimension.
Olmo is now out after picking up an injury on international duty. Even with his poor form beforehand, he remains Flick’s best option at the position. Barcelona, in turn, risk taxing Fermín when he returns given the lack of available options.
Gavi’s extended absence means that 18-year-old Dro Fernández is Fermín’s only natural replacement for the time being.
Player Fitness
Injuries have compromised Barcelona in a major way through 10 games.
Although Lamine Yamal and Fermín are nearing returns, Barça’s injury list remains extensive. Joan García, Gavi, Raphinha, Olmo and Robert Lewandowski are all sidelined, with the latter two becoming the latest victims.
Alejandro Balde and Frenkie de Jong have also been sidelined earlier in the campaign. Injuries were also a theme a season ago, but never as many at once, especially early in the term.
Additionally, players that have managed to stay healthy have looked exhausted late in games recently. Pedri, Marcus Rashford, Pau Cubarsí and Eric García have shown clear signs of fatigue, a worrying sign considering the season is still very much in its infancy.
Flick and his staff must assess what can be done to improve the overall fitness of the team. The positive thing is that there’s still a long way to go before the decisive part of the campaign.
However, if this trend continues, Barcelona will enter the climax of the term with one arm tied behind their back.
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Issues Hansi Flick Must Address to Solve Barcelona’s Early Season Woes.
