Hansi Flick's midfield 'puzzle' for the 24/25 season

Published:8/08/2024 - 22:30h

Updated:8/08/2024 - 23:41h

Hansi Flick would have ruled out the arrival of a midfielder given the number of options he has in the midfield. Up to 10 players can fight for a place in the German's starting eleven, who has a nice 'headache'

After finishing the last match of the tour of the United States against AC Milan, Hansi Flick sent a strong message about the arrival of reinforcement for the FC Barcelona midfield. "We have several quality players in the midfield, some of them are injured now but they will return. I think we are well covered in that position," were the words of the German, who seems to have come to the conclusion that he does not need to sign no cash in this area of the field.

And the Barça coach has up to 11 alternatives for the midfield. Five midfielders who were already there last season (Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Pedri, Gündogan and Fermín, although the first three are injured), one who returns from loan (Pablo Torre), two who will most likely be promoted from the reserve team (Marc Casadó and Marc Bernal) and the option of Andreas Christensen for the pivot. Furthermore, Dani Olmo, who can play both as an attacker and as an interior player, or Guille Fernández, who will alternate between the youth team and the first team, can be solutions for the coach in the position.

In this way, the idea of hiring a pivot, which was one of the priorities at the beginning of the transfer market, seems to have remained in the past. Hansi Flick is satisfied with the 'weapons' he has at his disposal, even more so with the 'irruption' of the duo made up of the 'Marcs' and the good performance of Pablo Torre, so now his biggest concern has become how he will accommodate these pieces on the playing field.

The core of Flick's 4-2-3-1 is divided into two clear positions, the pivot and the playmaker. In contention, the German used Casadó, Bernal, Gündogan and Christensen during the preseason friendlies, in a double pivot in which the two youth players have been the ones who have enjoyed the most minutes. Once he has recovered all of his strength, Hansi can line up Frenkie de Jong and Gavi, and even Pedri or Fermín, in this area, although the German's plan with these players is unknown.

The '10' debate

On the other hand, several players will fight for the '10' position. Pablo Torre more than performed in the position against City and Real Madrid, while Gündogan did the same against Milan. In this area, Pedri, Fermín, Gavi, and even Raphinha, are presented as alternatives for the Barça coach. However, the arrival of Dani Olmo could 'disrupt' Flick's plans, since this area is where the Egarense performs best. A nice 'headache' for Flick.