How 23-year-old Barcelona star prepared for his new role under Flick this season | OneFootball

The departure of Inigo Martinez in the last summer transfer window left a big void at FC Barcelona. After all, the veteran Spaniard was one of the key cogs of the domestic treble-winning team in the previous season.

It left manager Hansi Flick with a major task of finding the ideal defensive partner for Pau Cubarsi. Ronald Araujo was tried but did not always work. Eric Garcia did well, but, of late, his presence has been needed in midfield due to injuries.

Given the circumstances, the Barcelona head coach turned to an unlikely solution in Gerard Martin, and the experiment has worked a treat. Indeed, the 23-year-old left-back has excelled in his new role as the Catalans’ left-sided centre-back since last month.

Since his first game in the position against Athletic Club, Martin has been a regular starter in the role in seven of nine matches, being benched only against Chelsea and CD Guadalajara.

How Martin prepared for his new role

Now, MARCA has come out with an extensive report shedding light on how Gerard Martin prepared for his role as a left-sided centre-back.

It is not an entirely new position for the Spaniard. During his time at Cornella, he often played as a centre-back, although within a back-three where he operated on the left side.

Gerard Martin has excelled at centre-back. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

In fact, during pre-season, the Barça coaching staff had already tested the Catalan player in that role. His strengths were already evident at that stage: a high percentage of aerial duels won, ability to play out from the back and reliability in 1v1 situations.

But, to be able to perform at such a high level in a back four, the defender has carried out extra work in video sessions.

To refine the defensive concepts, Martin studied the movements of his teammates in different matches and phases of play, watching clips of Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen, Eric and Araujo, examining the strengths of each.

However, the most important reference has been Inigo Martinez. The Basque defender is the model Martin looks to, firstly because they are both left-footed CBs and secondly, because of the understanding he had with Cubarsi and the leadership he conveyed on the pitch.

In addition, Martin also closely studied how Martinez activated the offside trap and has worked on it over the past month and a half.

Inigo’s departure was a major headache for Flick, but the emergence of Martin as an option in central defence has been one of the major positives for Barcelona in recent weeks.