Barcelona gem reveals the reality behind the team’s effective offside traps | OneFootball

The latest victory for FC Barcelona sees the Catalan club ensure that their lead at the top of the La Liga table stays intact. For La Blaugrana, this 3-0 win over Deportivo Alaves in the perfect result before the start of the international break. With three points in the bag, Barcelona can be satisfied with the work they have done so far.

Many players ended up rising to the occasion for the team as well against Alaves. Thanks to these individuals, the team was able to score as many goals as they did while also making sure that they managed to keep a clean sheet. However, praise must also be given to Hansi Flick for his effective tactics in the game.

By retaining the high-line that he is so well-known for, Hansi Flick also made sure to have his team implement a very rigid and consistent offside trap. While some coaches may think of this particular tactic as a rather risky one and simply to be used as a transitional tactic in specific games, Flick stuck to it from start to finish.

Ultimately, it was quite effective against Alaves. Even Marc Casado, one of Barça’s best performers in this recent game, was asked to comment on this particular tactic after the game and he obliged, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo:

“There’s a lot of work behind it; we practice it extensively in training.“

This means that Hansi Flick seems to pay special attention to this particular tactic in training. By doing this, he has enabled his team to be much more well-drilled and adaptable to using it in real-time settings and actual games as well. Against Alaves, for instance, it was so effective that it resulted in the opposition being called offside on eleven separate occasions.

However, beyond just the tactics themselves, Casado also believes that the team’s mentality to treat every game as a battle was also just as important:

“We came out with a lot of enthusiasm and intensity, and that allowed us to score three goals before halftime. The team is fully engaged in every match; we know we have to give 100%.”

As for Casado specifically, the Barcelona gem continues to show his character and mental strength by celebrating even the duels and recoveries he makes, which is something that he takes pride in:

“I do it because that’s how I feel—every ball recovery or offside by the opponent is important for the team.“

For now, both Casado and several of his Barcelona teammates will be participating in the upcoming international break. Instead of getting some much-needed rest, even more will now be asked of these players and Barça will just be hoping that no more injuries take place throughout this upcoming period.