Hansi Flick’s big selection dilemma in defence ahead of Barcelona vs Valencia | OneFootball

Three games into the new season, it is clear that the Barcelona defence has not been as effective as last season and are particularly missing the presence of Inigo Martinez, who joined Al-Nassr in the summer.

Coach Hansi Flick has tried to find the right combination in central defence but has been unable to do so.

However, in a rare positive, all of Barcelona’s defensive options performed well during the international break, which could pose a real selection dilemma for the German tactician, heading into this weekend’s clash against Valencia.

Who will start in defence against Valencia?

Following early-season defensive woes, Flick had opted to make a few radical changes in defence in the last game against Rayo Vallecano.

The German opted for the central defensive combination of Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen, with Jules Kounde returning to right-back.

Although Barcelona drew 1-1, the defence looked much sharper and was able to play out from the back way more efficiently, compared to the pair of Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi which started in the first two games.

Will Christensen start against Valencia this weekend? (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

This leads to a potential selection dilemma for Hansi Flick heading into Sunday’s game against Valencia, reports SPORT.

The report points out that Flick may have a hard time picking his ideal defensive combination. Should he stick with the same combination as the Rayo game or return to a more conventional duo of Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi?

Fortunately for the German tactician, almost all centre-backs shone on international duty. Christensen is close to his best, completing two full matches for Denmark, keeping a clean sheet against Scotland, and even scoring a spectacular goal versus Greece.

Eric Garcia benefited from rest and extra training under Flick. Araujo was immense for Uruguay against Chile, while Cubarsi impressed for Spain in the 45 minutes he played against Bulgaria.

With Valencia visiting Estadi Johan Cruyff before a demanding trip to St James’ Park, it will be interesting to see how Flick shuffles his defensive pack in the coming week or so.