Hansi Flick’s Barcelona add yet another potent weapon to their arsenal | OneFootball

In many different ways, this current version of FC Barcelona is the most well-coached version of the team in recent years. Despite having many casualties due to various injuries, the Catalan giants continue to pull through. For that, a lot of the credit and praise must go to the new Barcelona head coach.

Under Hansi Flick, this team has established itself as one of Europe’s most lethal outfits. Beyond just the scintillating football that they are playing, this Barcelona side is capable of outscoring almost any opponent and they have shown themselves to be ready for almost any challenge.

However, not all the goals have come directly from wondrous linkup plays or high pressing manoeuvres. In fact, some of the team’s most important goals this season have arrived from set pieces, a certain aspect of the game that Barça had struggled with in recent times.

Now, that does not appear to be the case at all. Instead, as highlighted by SPORT, it is a lost art that Barcelona have now managed to recover and are making as much use of it as possible. Through set pieces alone, which includes penalties, corners, throw-ins, and free-kicks as well, the Catalan giants have scored ten goals.

The latest entries in that particular statistic could be seen against BSC Young Boys in Barça’s recent 5-0 victory at home in the UEFA Champions League. With those goals, Barcelona manage to attach a better goal difference to their name than they did after the opening matchday in the competition.

Unlike previous seasons, moreover, this season’s campaign in the Champions League will be one that will put a huge emphasis on goal difference, and La Blaugrana would be wise to make sure they keep that in mind. As for an area of improvement, direct free-kick goals remain a massive hurdle.

Ever since the departure of the great Lionel Messi, this Barcelona team has massively struggled with scoring direct free-kicks. While both Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski have managed to score a few, it is hardly at a rate as consistent as the one that the Argentinian maestro used to give Barça.

Work in that specific area continues, and Hansi Flick would be encouraging the team to be able to add that weapon to their arsenal as well. Against low-block teams and resilient oppositions, it would surely be a great asset to add on top of Barça’s already improved long-range shooting, set piece delivery, and ability to overload the opposition box.