Hansi Flick, a blessing fallen from heaven for FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona added its second victory of the season against Athletic Club (2-1), a match where the Barça team showed a much more solid image compared to the League debut at Mestalla. Beyond repeating the result of matchday 1, the team had much more control of the game, relying on both possession and high pressure to neutralize the Bilbao offense.

Hansi Flick only made one change from the clash against Valencia, with Pedri replacing Marc Casadó. The team maintained the 4-2-3-1 block that it has been working on all summer, but at times adopted the 4-3-3 to have more presence in the rival field, with the Canarian and Raphinha drowning out the Basque exit, while Marc Bernal He covered ground as a pivot. In the end, the plan went as planned and, in the middle of a very complicated summer due to financial issues and injuries to several 'heavyweights', the squad is responding very well to the coach's idea of ​​the game.

Flick's Barça is taking shape in LaLiga

And, both in defense and attack, Barça shows signs of obvious improvement compared to the previous season. In addition to the pressure, the players are clearer about how to cover spaces when the rival counterattacks, with Koundé and Balde firm in the recovery and the Cubarsí-Martínez duo doing the work in the center of the defense. The sacrifice of men like Lamine, Ferran and Raphinha to lend a hand in the recovery has also been important, as well as the mobility of Lewandowski in the front of the area to generate more offensive volume.

"The intention is always to win. It is good to have balance between defense and attack. We have taken advantage of the spaces, in the first half we had some clear ones. Winning a game against Athletic tastes very good," he commented after the duel against the team Bilbao. In that sense, he made it clear what his message has been to the locker room to maintain the upward trend.

"I think it's always good to improve, that's what I've told the players. Every game is a step forward and we want to improve; that's what we're doing. Let's see how we do things better for the next game," he said. that of Heidelberg, leaving open the possibility of making rotations on Tuesday in Vallecas, in accordance with the recovery of the squad in the next few hours.

Laporta, heads and tails with the choice of the coach and the summer market

Certainly, Joan Laporta's decision to dispense with Xavi Hernández and trust Flick is beginning to show signs of resounding success. Beyond the upheaval of Egarense's departure, the new staff has perfectly understood the club's situation, working with the resources at their disposal and focused on getting the most out of the squad. On the contrary, financially, planning has been left out, since the club still has not returned to the 1/1 rule and everything indicates that the summer will end with Dani Olmo as the only top reinforcement. Between now and August 30, the best thing that can happen is to complete the pending departures (Roque, Lenglet, Faye, Pablo Torre) and complete the registration of the player from Terrassa.