Some may disagree, but I don’t think centre‑backs have been our primary defensive problem this season. With Cubarsí, Araújo, Martín and Eric, we actually have a more than decent CB rotation on paper. The instability we keep seeing defensively is largely coming from what’s happening around them rather than from them.
Most of our issues start on the flanks. Koundé and Balde have both struggled to match the level they showed last season, which has had a direct impact on our ability to defend transitions — something that becomes absolutely critical when you’re insisting on maintaining a high defensive line. On top of that, Raphinha missing a large part of the season robbed the left side of both offensive threat and defensive work rate, while Lamine Yamal, as talented as he is, is still developing the pressing discipline required to consistently protect his full‑back.
Then you have the midfield context. Pedri has been clearly overplayed at times, De Jong’s injury disruptions have hurt our ability to control transitions centrally, and Olmo doesn’t offer consistent defensive intensity off the ball. When your wide players aren’t reliably tracking back and your midfield isn’t always able to protect the first line of pressure, the centre‑backs end up defending large spaces repeatedly.
Playing such an aggressive high line under those conditions is inevitably going to expose any CB pairing, regardless of individual quality. As a result, many of the goals and big chances we concede are less about centre‑back deficiencies and more about structural protection — or lack thereof — ahead of them.
