Hansi Flick still searching for his right centre-back pairing at Barcelona this season | OneFootball

Barcelona enjoyed an extremely successful season last time out under Hansi Flick, winning all three domestic titles while making it to the semi-finals in the UEFA Champions League.

However, entering into his second campaign at the club, the German tactician had his sights on improving one key area in his team – the defence.

After all, Barcelona had conceded 72 goals in 60 matches across all competitions – one of the highest tallies of the 21st century for the club. The final stretch of last season was particularly costly.

The unexpected departure of Inigo Martinez in the summer window only served to complicate matters further, consisting that the veteran Spaniard was a permanent fixture in Flick’s team.

Still looking for the best centre-back partnership

As such, Mundo Deportivo reports that Flick is yet to nail down the right centre-back partnership for Barcelona this season and is still searching for the ideal pairing.

On the opening weekend against Mallorca, Flick lined up Pau Cubarsi as the left-sided centre-back, filling the void left by Inigo, with Ronald Araujo on the right. Eric Garcia and Alejandro Balde took the full-back roles.

Hansi Flick still figuring out his best defence. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Barça won 3-0 without conceding, so the coach repeated the setup against Levante in the second round. That time, despite a comeback win (2-3), the two goals conceded left Flick dissatisfied, with Cubarsi, in particular, looking scratchy.

As such, Flick reshuffled his defence away to Rayo Vallecano, dropping the first-choice pair and opting for Eric and Andreas Christensen in central defence, which meant Jules Kounde was back out wide. Only Balde kept his place in the defensive line.

However, the backline once again looked unsettled as Rayo Vallecano threatened each time they got forward. Only Joan Garcia’s heroics between the sticks ensured Barcelona returned home with a point.

Flick justified the changes as part of a rotation policy, insisting the squad needed fresh legs. Still, it is clear he is testing combinations to identify his best centre-back pairing.

As part of this, Cubarsi is soon expected to return to his natural position on the right of central defence, having played on the left in his two appearances this season. Who he partners with in such a scenario will be interesting to see.