when Barcelona hoped to recover Balde, Hansi Flick lost Jules Kundé. Barcelona, then, was left without its two titular sides for the duel back of the semifinal of the Champions League against Inter.
“The injuries cannot be changed,” the German coach, reasons, the German coach. Balde continues in the nursing since, on April 13, the femoral biceps of the left leg was broken, while Koundé suffered a distal lesion in the same muscle against Inter in Montjuïc. “Eric [García]Ronald [Araújo]Hector [Fort] y Gerard [Martín] They can play in their positions and help us win, ”the Barcelona coach completed in San Siro. He did not mention Iñigo Martínez, of course either Landry. In Barça’s last training in San Siro, Gerard and Landry cloned the bucket position, the only side capable of deepening attack.
In front of an old problem, new solutions: in the final of the Cup against Madrid, when the extension was already smelled, Hansi Flick sent Araújo to the field to accommodate Iñigo Martínez as the left side. “Flick told me if I saw me in that position and I told him that yes. I have thrown myself for all. You have to fulfill when it touches, even if it is not your position,” said the Basque defense. At 33, Iñigo had to pull memory to corner on the left side, demarcation in which he debuted in the Real subsidiary. “He is an absolute leader and gives everything for this club. It is a great example for the rest,” said Flick on Iñigo Martínez, his key man to mark the offside line and also one of the referents of the Barca rear to defend the stopped ball.
Flick especially worries the formula to use to protect themselves from the ball plays. In the season, Barcelona has received 19 strategy goals; Eight were in the last month, six of them of corner. Barca weakness is precisely a strength of the Inzaghi team: four of the last five goals he has scored in the Champions (two against Bayern and two others against Barça) has signed them after a corner kick. “It could be a good idea …” Flick joked about the possibility of not giving corners. “But,” he added seriously, “I hope the players know what to do at the right time.”
From the final of the Cup against Madrid, Flick has begun to dedicate several minutes of the few training that the strategy plays have to work. He does it on the grass of Tito Vilanova – Barça’s work center in the sports city – also in the video room. “The reason is that we do not have the right position or do not press the right player at the time he plays. The ball plays we must defend them much better,” said Flick.
The two best players that Flick has on the squad to defend the stopped ball are, according to the sports area, Iñigo Martínez and Araújo. And it is precisely the reason why the coaching staff meditates to mix them with Eric García and Cubarsí. The alternative, in any case, continues to be Gerard Martín.
The Iñigo and Araujo test next to Cubarsí and Eric worked in the extension against Madrid and in the second time of the first leg against Inter, after, in the first part, Gerard suffered against Dumfries. “Without bucket, Gerard is the only pure left side that Hansi has,” insists the same sources of the sports direction. Flick, in any case, said: “We are going to change some things in defense. That is what I can say.”
To cushion panic, Barça recovered another banner for strategy plays: Lewandowski. “He is prepared to be on the bench and, when we need it, he will enter again,” the German explained about the state of 9, present in the call for the duel against Inter. The Polish represents power in the areas, but above all experience in a group colonized by youth, represented in Lamine Yamal. “Lamine is a genius, but the important thing is the team. At the beginning of the season we had no idea what we would achieve. We have achieved two titles and the weeks are very important. We want to enjoy,” Flick concluded.
“How is the costumes?” Dani Olmo questioned; “It’s a party. Having such young players takes away a little pressure. They don’t give it so much importance. We are already veterans to direct them,” he completed the Barca 20.
Against the panic of a decimated defense and the fragility to the stopped ball, Barça looks for the ticket to Munich with the Flick board and the Lamine Yamal and company party.
