Defiant Hansi Flick Refuses to Abandon High-Risk Barcelona Strategy Despite Historic 12-Year Drought
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick refused to contemplate abandoning the tactical approach that critics have labeled as "suicidal" amid the club's poorest defensive stretch since 2013.
The defending Spanish title holders conceded three additional goals in a frantic stalemate with Club Brugge on Wednesday night, prolonging their clean sheet drought to nine consecutive matches. Barcelona's last double-digit defensive struggle occurred in March 2013, when Tito Vilanova's squad went 13 games without recording a shutout.
Critics have targeted Flick's commitment to deploying an ultra-high defensive line. While this strategy has generated more offside calls than any team in Europe's premier leagues, Club Brugge weren't the initial opponents to successfully circumvent this tactical setup.
When questioned about potentially moderating his extreme methodology, Flick responded with sarcasm. "We could adopt a deep defensive block and protect our penalty area," the German tactician retorted. "Alternatively, we continue with our approach, our principles, our desired style and execute it far more effectively.
"Without intensity, success in the Champions League becomes impossible. Every team possesses the ability to play rapidly, transition quickly, and Brugge executed this exceptionally well, exactly as we anticipated."
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers player Carlos Forbs consistently exploited Barcelona's high defensive line for Brugge on Wednesday, utilizing his explosive speed to create the opener and net two additional strikes. "Regarding their first goal, in my opinion from last season's standards, it's clearly offside," Flick complained.
"This situation affects our confidence slightly. We could discuss overhauling everything, but that's not my coaching philosophy.
"We aim to honor our identity; we reject defensive parking and counter-attacking to secure 1–0 victories, though I acknowledge 3–3 isn't our ideal outcome. However, our response after each conceded goal was encouraging, but we must analyze this performance."
This marked Barcelona's first Champions League fixture without Pedri controlling the rhythm in possession and out of possession since March 2024. "Our midfield lacks ball pressure and we're losing individual battles, making it challenging for our defensive line to contain these rapid attackers," Flick acknowledged. "We must address this, examine everything thoroughly. Player discussions will follow."
Two-time European Cup champion Ruud Gullit joined the chorus of critics observing the match in Belgium. "Every Barcelona player considers [the high defensive line] a suicide mission," the analyst declared.
Frenkie de Jong supported his manager over his fellow Dutchman. "We recognize areas requiring improvement," the Netherlands international admitted. "Our counter-attacking defense is currently vulnerable, whether due to tracking responsibilities or defensive positioning...it's likely a combination of factors. While not everything relates to this, conceding three goals makes victory extremely difficult."
Flick Presents Questionable Resolution to Barcelona's Struggles
Instead of modifying his tactical setup, Flick appeared to suggest the optimal solution involves awaiting his sidelined players' recovery.
"We represent Barcelona and we're committed to our football philosophy and style, which emphasizes activity and intensity, both in possession and defensively," he maintained. "Currently, we occasionally lack this element. This isn't a philosophical issue.
"We understand, everyone recognizes, this isn't the team's peak period, but I remain optimistic. We're working diligently and I believe we can perform at a superior level. Perhaps following the international break, when Raphinha, Joan García and Pedri return... and Dani [Olmo] and Robert [Lewandowski] potentially reach higher standards, we'll witness improvement."