"For the first time in this campaign, the Catalans have fielded the same backline in three consecutive matches against Girona, Olympiacos, and Real Madrid - three crucial fixtures in Barcelona's calendar. In each of the three matches, Flick relied on the defensive line of Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde - giving an indication that this could well be his preferred defence for the 2025/26 season."
"Since the start of the season, Barcelona had made at least one change in defence for every match. In fact, they had only repeated their back line in the first two La Liga fixtures. From that point on, Flick had continuously adjusted the defence until the Girona match. Now, the team has played three consecutive games with the same back four."
"In the first two matches, against Mallorca and Levante, Flick used Eric, Ronald Araujo, Cubarsi, and Balde. That combination was not repeated in any later fixture. Against Rayo Vallecano, Kounde started at right-back, with Eric moving into central defence alongside Andreas Christensen. The left-back position remained unchanged. However, Balde's injury forced Flick to make adjustments against Valencia, fielding the backline of Kounde, Cubarsi, Eric, and Gerard Martin - the same unit that was used against PSG at the beginning of October."
Barcelona experienced frequent defensive rotation early in the season, changing at least one defender in every match and only repeating a back line in the first two La Liga fixtures. Hansi Flick has now fielded the same back four—Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde—in three consecutive matches against Girona, Olympiacos and Real Madrid. Flick used various permutations including Eric with Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen in central roles and Kounde at right-back. Balde's injury prompted further changes, while his return has allowed the manager to steady the defence and potentially establish a preferred unit for 2025/26.
Read at Barca Universal
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