Hansi Flick’s new tactic continues to make Barcelona look even more unpredictable | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have been full of pleasant surprises this season, and that list continues to grow. Under the supervision and guidance of Hansi Flick, the Catalan giants have looked like an entirely new team. Now much more direct and hungry to attack their opponents, this Barcelona team is a different breed altogether.

Intense pressure, quality on the wings, an extremely aggressive high-line, and intricate build-up play in the central areas of the pitch, this Barça side is as exciting as it gets. From being able to demolish teams like Real Madrid in back-to-back games and thrashing Valencia in the Copa del Rey, the team continues to soar.

However, that does not mean that there is no evolution or tinkering at play. Just because a tactic or formula worked for much of the season does not mean that it does not require refinement or even being entirely changed up altogether if the coach believes that to be necessary.

Within this Barcelona team, there is no such thing as too much innovation. From Hansi Flick’s side, the most recent and effective innovation has come in the form of his experimental ‘False 9’ formation. Even with Robert Lewandowski’s absence, the German coach has managed to give the team an entirely different and unique weapon to make use of.

Moreover, as pointed out by Mundo Deportivo, the results that have come as a direct consequence of this experiment speak for themselves. Whenever Lewandowski has not been present, Flick has started to opt for a player like Ferran Torres or Dani Olmo rather than another traditional striker.

This has then allowed Barça to play with much more fluidity and movement around the opposition. Across the four games that this tactic has been used in, 22 goals have been scored by Barcelona, which means an average of around 5.5 goals per game.

The first time this experiment was seen in action was against RCD Mallorca in December of last year. That match ended in a 5-1 victory for Barcelona, with Ferran Torres as the player starting at the top. Then came the game against Real Betis in the Copa del Rey, and that match ended in yet another massive 5-1 victory for Hansi Flick’s side but this time with Dani Olmo leading the charge.

Since then, two more games have come around where this formation was used and it was against Valencia on both occasions. The first instance was in La Liga, where Ferran Torres started and the team decimated the opposition with a 7-1 scoreline. Right afterwards, in the most recent game, Barça cruised to a 5-0 win in the Copa del Rey.

With these clear examples of just how lethal this new tactic is, Hansi Flick will surely have a dilemma to address. Despite Robert Lewandowski’s great numbers this season, having scored 30 goals in 35 games, the effectiveness of the ‘False 9’ can not be overstated.