Barca '24-'25 under Flick

+27 goal difference compared to RM +10

High line.

Far exceeded expectations so far definitely... high line means we can press n dominate as well as guarantee chances at both ends, entertaining stuff

Barça is truly looking like Bayern did that one year under Flick.

Nobody can call him Hansi Fluke any longer, he's doing it again ffs.

he cannot be considered a fluke given he made all the right moves in such a team in Bayern.

managing an already successful team isn't as easy as it looks as many egos to manage and variables to calculate. the individual set of tactics he used game to game for Bayern's win told the story itself.

he is genuinely a very good manager.

Personally I'm most impressed with how he handled Raphinha. Who would have thought this guy's projection would be this astronomical? The dude was almost out the door 2 or 3 times. He was confined as a wide winger and unable to stretch his wings.

I'd have never imagined he could be a leader like that, i knew he's not up to his potential under Xavi but how he's performing now exceeded any expectations that I had. I mean not long ago this guy was strolling down the wing and couldn't get past anyone in a 1v1 duel

I just remembered Olmo is a La Masia product as well. That makes it 8 homegrown players to take part in this clasico.

Raphinha I felt sorry about a bit cos Xavi loved Ferran n that was his main problem, bias towards certain Spanish players Countless times Raphinha played his heart out for the team back then also but then got subbed for Ferran at 60th n he was so angry numerous times, cos he was trying to maintain his rhythm n had to make way for that fking fruad XD

We were more static n slow during Xavi n 1v1 isnt his best trait. Nowadays hes roaming around n making runs all over instead of having to 1v1 facing a defender from start.

I find it funny how some people comment Flick's style isn't tiki-taka,

this is prime Cruyff tiki-taka.

One day a team with more ruthless attackers are going to score over 5-6 goals against Barca. They just haven't faced that team yet. If Mbappe wasnt offside a thousand times or shot like he was Mariano only he alone could've scored 9 goals.

Gotta give it to Barca though, when they are ahead, they can be ruthless. No sitting back to conserve energy.

But I'll say the same thing I said about Jude last season when he ran like 7 km more than the closest RM player in the first half of the season. You are going to tire yourself out to the point you won't be able to compete in the second half of the season. But time will tell. It worked for Klopp for a number of seasons before they fell off a cliff

We ran 10km more than RM in that game but actually we pressed a lot less than vs Bayern. It seemed to me that we actually enjoyed having the ball in the 2nd half and didn't tire that much

People mistakenly think that this high line is something that we dont control

The precise point of this advanced defensive line is to keep the furthest attacker close to offside so that he can't make a deep run in behind. What happened to Mbappe in that game is tactical masterclass and clearly pre-meditated and rehearsed, and La Masia defenders are brought up to play in that way (Balde and Cubarsi are so young but they have no tactical issues)

Flick takes it to extreme but with automated offside technology this is actually much safer than one would think because you can't get away with offsides like in the past

Barca played the same offside line in the Super Cup final and we took advantage of it well because our other attackers aren't lazy off the ball.

I am not surprised Barca ran that much ahead of us. It looked like it during the game too.

Such a shame we are lumbered with terrible defenders like Mendy who has no idea how to keep am offside line.

Time will tell how Barca get on after January

halamadrid2 wrote:
I am not surprised Barca ran that much ahead of us.

126.55km against Bayern (28km more than in the 8-2)

idk how much Bayern ran this time tho to compare

We have players who can manage it now tho

Myesyats wrote:I find it funny how some people comment Flick's style isn't tiki-taka,

this is prime Cruyff tiki-taka.

So after all these yrs Im still struggling to exactly know what tiki taka is then I thought Flick style wouldnt be called that cos its so much more direct forward passing especially long passing?

Myesyats wrote:
We have players who can manage it now tho

Doubt Pedri can manage it or Lewa or Yamal. The only ones I can see being able to stay consistent are Raphina, Gavi and Fermin. I stand by my opinion that you won't be able to sustain that level of running for a whole season. Look at what the mileage has done to Valverde. A shell of himself against Barca. He usually does really well

BarcaLearning wrote:

Myesyats wrote:I find it funny how some people comment Flick's style isn't tiki-taka,

this is prime Cruyff tiki-taka.

So after all these yrs Im still struggling to exactly know what tiki taka is then I thought Flick style wouldnt be called that cos its so much more direct forward passing especially long passing?

Tiki-taka originated with Cruyff and if you've seen his total football you know

Always has been fast one-touch and offensive football, if its not its badly executed or players aren't good enough

[quote="halamadrid2"]

Myesyats wrote:

halamadrid2 wrote:
We have players who can manage it now tho

Doubt Pedri can manage it or Lewa or Yamal. The only ones I can see being able to stay consistent are Raphina, Gavi and Fermin. I stand by my opinion that you won't be able to sustain that level of running for a whole season. Look at what the mileage has done to Valverde. A shell of himself against Barca. He usually does really well

Maybe Ancelotti doesnt rotate enough?

I think minutes wise it can be somewhat managed between Olmo-Casado-Pedri and Gavi-FDJ-Fermin-Torre

Raphinha and Lewa are monsters. Even at Lewa's age he can do it. Only one I'm worried about is Yamal

And honestly in many LA Liga games you dont need as much pressing if you lead 3-0 at HT

That's well known. Carlo doesnt rotate but he did it well in the second half of last season. Would probably not have done it if the league was close.

It's true that Valverde plays nearly every minute of every game no matter if he's just jetted back from international games with Uruguay or is slightly injured. He has never had a problem until the clasico where it was clear for everyone to see that he needed am extended break.

A playing style like that where a team runs over 10km more than the opposition will need major discipline and stamina. I'll be surprised if Barca plays exactly like that come Mars.

Pintus for example usually plans his routines so that we will be in top shape come February onwards and we pay for it at the start of the season. Although even he hasn't escaped criticism this season.

148 - Teams with most recoveries in the opponent half in the top five European leagues this season:

148 - FC BARCELONA
146 - Real Betis
140 - Athletic Club
139 - Bayern München
136 - Tottenham Hotspur
136 - Atalanta

Style. pic.twitter.com/BecLvd0lMd

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 31, 2024

More goals than MSN and Pep's barca.

I dont know how Flick does it  

40 - Barcelona have scored 40 goals in LaLiga 2024/25, the second highest scoring record after their first 12 games of the season in their entire history (42 in 1950/51). Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/QqM2QIEbRF

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 3, 2024

Myesyats wrote:More goals than MSN and Pep's barca.

I dont know how Flick does it  

40 - Barcelona have scored 40 goals in LaLiga 2024/25, the second highest scoring record after their first 12 games of the season in their entire history (42 in 1950/51). Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/QqM2QIEbRF

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 3, 2024

By being tactically much more aggressive

As good as you were under Pep, I sometimes hated myself for deciding to watch your games when you were just recycling possession. And I still regret tuning in to Man City's matches sometimes, when they're playing cup games against really bad teams and they still play it relatively safe by passing it around in their own half.

In contrast to that, your current Barca side is super offensive. Which is obviously risky, but you can't complain when it works.

Luis Enrique’s approach was also quite vertical and aggressive and he had more quality forwards

I expected more goals with Flick but he is breaking records and this team is not our best, half of it is kids basically

Half of those kids are world class already plus the seniors that are starting are all world class as well. I had criticized you earlier saying no bench, but the academy has proven me wrong. IMO, you are back to being a big club despite the financial problems and thanks to a solid coach and a strong academy.

We are pressing effectively n together with the highline so a lot of the game is played in the oppositions half. Lewand dropping n others making runs all the time is such a fresh sight to see... we struggled for yrs about this - nobody running in behind... but thats a whole other chapter n factors like having no RB or RW for yrs etc...

Anyway, we're recovering the ball so high up n the players full of confidence so they are putting them away at ease instead of being too eager cos it wasnt that easy to make chances b4 this season...

futbol_bill wrote:Half of those kids are world class already plus the seniors that are starting are all world class as well. I had criticized you earlier saying no bench, but the academy has proven me wrong. IMO, you are back to being a big club despite the financial problems and thanks to a solid coach and a strong academy.

Well well we were arguing all summer over it, sometimes it pays off to listen to your elders

I'll be damned if La Masia is not the greatest academy in the world. I don't know where we would be without Yamal, Gavi, Casado, Bernal, Balde, Cubarsi, Fermin. On the surface that is basically 7 top class players at zero cost

But there is more to it -  they are brought up a certain way, they bleed blaugrana and every single one of them feels eternally attached to the club. They would kill and die for this club. It's something that can't be bought.

Myesyats wrote:They would kill and die for this club.

I’m sorry Cubaresi, it’s my fault

Pau Cubarsí: “10 stitches on my face? Everything for this badge”. pic.twitter.com/wssFjX3fXl

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 7, 2024

The studs to face are always so scary... well at 17 if he gets scars already shows he has experience n become a man But of cos hope he fully heals without getting any... legend in the making...