Daniel Olmo Carvajal. What a footballer. What a signing Deco has made. It's incredible what the player from Egar brings when he's on the pitch. With his participation in the game he makes Barça rise to a higher level. His best position, without a doubt, is that of attacking midfielder, where Flick relocated him in the victory against Brest, after having sent him to the left wing against Celta.
The midfielder, trained at La Masia and finished his formation at Dinamo Zagreb, forged himself as an important footballer at RB Leipzig. He spent 4 years at the German club. During his time at the team owned by the Red Bull group, summer after summer the possibility of him returning to Barça was mentioned. However, it was not until this season that the Blaugrana team, after the great Eurocup of the Spaniard, went for him, paying around 55 million euros for his rights.
His performance in the attacking midfield
It is important to outline some tactical concepts before beginning to explain Dani Olmo's way of acting. On paper, Hansi Flick starts with a 4-2-3-1, formed in midfield by a double pivot and an attacking midfielder. In practice, the formation adapts to the players on the pitch, and can be a literal example of the scheme offered in the line-up or mutating into an asymmetrical 4-3-3.
As for the advanced midfielder, it is not the same to play with the protagonist of the article, who dresses as an inside midfielder or attacking midfielder depending on the situation, than with Fermín, who is a player with a clear offensive vocation. This is because the player from Terrassa is a much more versatile player. He can play in any position in the creation and/or completion of plays. For his part, López understands football as a forward and not so much as a midfielder.
The former Leipzig player helps create the play, but when he moves around the three-quarters zone he is a delight. He weaves between the rival lines without being detected, switches with the wings and creates spaces where there is none. In addition to this, he crowns himself with key passes and even goals. For example, against Brest he scored a goal, shot twice on goal and made two key passes. In addition, he had a 75% success rate in the accuracy of his deliveries, a very high percentage considering the area in which he plays.
A fundamental player for Flick's Barça
Having the talent of Dani Olmo in the engine room is absolutely differential. He creates dangerous situations just by his movements and always provides passing lines to his teammates. It is for the reasons explained in this article that the author considers him a key player. There are several players who can offer great performance in the attacking midfield, but the best is the newcomer.
The only drawback that can be put to the midfielder is his history of injuries. Over the past three seasons he has missed an average of 97 days, which is more than three months without playing. This season he has already missed 31 days due to muscle problems. Flick knows his history and rations his minutes in such a way that he has not yet finished a game, been substituted or come off the bench in all of them. However, if this formula works, then it is welcome.