Barcelona duo’s flawless record leaves Flick with major selection headache for Elche clash | OneFootball

Despite operating in very similar areas of the pitch, Barcelona midfielders Dani Olmo and Fermin Lopez have both played a key role in the team’s impressive turnaround in the UEFA Champions League. 

What looks difficult on paper has worked in practice, largely thanks to their intelligence and tactical flexibility.

At first glance, Olmo and Fermin appear to compete for the same role, as both are creative midfielders who like to play between the lines, arrive in the box, and influence the final third. 

However, under Hansi Flick, their versatility has allowed Barcelona to use them together without losing balance or control.

Operating together

The clearest recent example came against Copenhagen, where Flick had to rethink his midfield due to the absence of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. 

Olmo was asked to drop deeper and operate as a central midfielder, while Fermin stayed closer to his usual attacking role. 

The adjustment worked smoothly and gave Barcelona the structure they needed to build their comeback.

This was not an isolated case, as Olmo and Fermin have shared the pitch several times this season, and the results strongly support Flick’s idea. 

Fermin and Olmo have played well together. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Barcelona have won every match in which both players featured together, including a 4-2 victory over Celta Vigo, a dominant 4-0 win against Athletic Club, and the recent Champions League clash.

A comfortable partnership

Against Copenhagen, Olmo looked comfortable in his deeper role and his vision stood out, especially with the pass that led to Barcelona’s first goal. 

He covered large areas of the pitch and finished the game with an impressive 86% pass accuracy.

Fermin was also tidy in possession, completing 91% of his passes. While he was not as decisive as in some earlier matches, his movement and energy still played an important part in keeping Barcelona on the front foot.

Now, Flick faces an important decision ahead of the trip to Elche in La Liga. 

With Pedri still unavailable, the manager must choose whether to trust the Olmo-Fermin pairing again or opt for a more cautious setup to better protect the midfield and limit transitions.