Hans-Dieter Flick

[ZenI]

We are just too bad overall, we have a couple of really good players but the rest is very average. Some overperformed last year under Flick but he can only do so much. If the quality isn't there it will show eventually.

We aren't really - but we sorely miss better players on LB and 9 + send Olmo to get some shock therapy, dude needs to be more consistent and add some grit to his personality/play style.

 

[Barcaman]

Listen, could be worse. Could be Scouser. Spend 300 mil. after just winning epl and then getting embarrassed left and right.

 

[MonteCuler]

Slot should play pure Flickball

Flick with his assets would be undisputed no.1 in Europe

And not just his really. PSG, City, Pool, Arsenal, Chelsea etc. We should just hope Flick retires after leaving Barça

 

[serghei]

Trying to press a team that's just as good or better than you are technically, while being significantly better physically won't end well 7/10.

It's like when other teams try to press us, we have the players to pass out of it, but with PSG they also have those kind of players, a manager that emphasizes that they should be comfortable while being pressed and fitter players.

So he'll need a plan A++ or hope plan A is played to perfection

Depends on how you press. There are many forms of pressing. Pressing and high line should absolutely be important components in our game, but we need to improve at how we do it and implement more variation.

Going gung-ho vs these teams is not going to work. You have to press after you cut off their passing options. It's useless to press PSG top players while they have easy options to pass. They will complete a pass almost every time.

 

[serghei]

Flick blamed our off the ball performance vs PSG, which makes me happy, because he knows this is what did us eventually. Not losing 1 vs 1s as much, but inconsistent off the ball match from many players.

With Raphinha who is a workhorse off the ball and a fit Yamal, things will be different I think.

It is good this match came early.

PSG players lost duels also btw. Rashford cooked some PSG players, and on the other flank Mendes should have been off vs Yamal. Rashford played a great assist from right near Hakimi too, and Mendes lost Ferran for our goal.

 

[serghei]

There's nothing wrong with ambitious pressing, but every player has to do his part for it to work. Not pressing the keeper as much and not displacing defenders so wildly off position should be done next time.

If pressing fails in the early phase, don't double down on it, trippling the risk, but revert to a positional defense. Take the hint, pressing failed, but you are not out of options to defend well. Not the end of the world, do not hand out acres of space stupidly when the opponent is in control.

Keeper is not likely to pick up dangerous passes. He should be pressed rarely and only when the opponent really is boxed down. We should focus more on his passing options. Pressing or not pressing the keeper is also one of the main variations and it makes a very big difference. You lose a man easily when you press the keeper and he has an option to bypass it.

 

[Barcaman]

"Positional defense" at 1-1 doesn't help us. If we went with 1-0 at HT it could have been different.
In one sentence: We needed to chase the win and lost the running match.

 

[ToranagaSama]

Barca fans will never be happy, it's the usual boom-bust cycle.

"Lucho doesn't have a clue, our midfield play sucks, it's just get ball to MSN and pray!"

"Valverde is too much of a coward, why sit back, be pragmatic and defend a 3/4 goal lead, go ATTACK! I'd rather lose trying to attack than defend the lead as Barca!"

"Why is Flick always playing such a high line dude, just sit back more and defend the lead, be pragmatic. What's this Bayernball, we need Lucho back for proper midfield play, look at his fluid total football PSG!"

Repeat.

 

[serghei]

It's not about playing the high line in itself. It's about playing the high line without proper set-up.

There's 4 players near Vitinha and none of them are pressing him. You don't play a high line AND allow the best passer of the other team all the time to pick a pass, while also at the same time you somehow manage to leave a player like Hakimi completely unmarked. That's the issue, not the high line in itself, but doing it stupidly.

This is a few seconds before. Here Vitinha is handled by De Jong. Balde has Hakimi. 5-6 seconds after, Vitinha is alone on the ball unpressed, and Balde forgets Hakimi is playing.

 

[jamrock]

The entire play fell apart when Cubarsi was entirely too high trying to press Vitinha, I think. When he ran back to his position, Balde had to move back to RB; the entire defense was broken and out of possession.

Just a shit show.

Don't disagree with the pressing correctly theory, just saying that specific goal was down to Cubarsi if we want the entire play.

 

[ToranagaSama]

And you think you can micro manage players' individual actions throughout every single second of a football match? Did Flick instruct those 4 players in the circle not to press the ball carrier?

As I wrote before, we have 4 players who can be considered world class at the moment. One did not play (and is also the best presser in the team), the other is an 18 year old returning from injury (and is injured again) who isn't known to be world class for his defensive moments anyway and then 2 midfielders who were gassed in the 90th minute (one of them not even on the pitch anymore). So you have a bunch of non-world class players taking non-world class decisions at that moment. No rocket science. It happens. You can lose matches to other top top teams, especially when you open your mouth about being the best and give them additional motivation to smack you.

 

[iniestaGOAT]

And you think you can micro manage players' individual actions throughout every single second of a football match? Did Flick instruct those 4 players in the circle not to press the ball carrier?

As I wrote before, we have 4 players who can be considered world class at the moment. One did not play (and is also the best presser in the team), the other is an 18 year old returning from injury (and is injured again) who isn't known to be world class for his defensive moments anyway and then 2 midfielders who were gassed in the 90th minute (one of them not even on the pitch anymore). So you have a bunch of non-world class players taking non-world class decisions at that moment. No rocket science. It happens. You can lose matches to other top top teams, especially when you open your mouth about being the best and give them additional motivation to smack you.

4 considered world class at barcelona?
How many would you consider world class at PSG? Full team not just who played the other day.
I am going with 0.

Except the manager.
He is world class.

 

[ToranagaSama]

I find it good that we lost by the way. It's an unimportant game early in the season all things considered and if we somehow smacked them now and faced them later they'd give 200 % additionally to set that result straight. But now we are in the position to prove something if we face them later. We'll easily be much better later in the season in this match up, unless big injuries happen.

 

[serghei]

And you think you can micro manage players' individual actions throughout every single second of a football match? Did Flick instruct those 4 players in the circle not to press the ball carrier?

As I wrote before, we have 4 players who can be considered world class at the moment. One did not play (and is also the best presser in the team), the other is an 18 year old returning from injury (and is injured again) who isn't known to be world class for his defensive moments anyway and then 2 midfielders who were gassed in the 90th minute (one of them not even on the pitch anymore). So you have a bunch of non-world class players taking non-world class decisions at that moment. No rocket science. It happens. You can lose matches to other top top teams, especially when you open your mouth about being the best and give them additional motivation to smack you.

No, but he's supposed to fix these issues, especially as they happen often. If he can't, maybe it's time he doesn't ask Balde and Cubarsi to venture off position by 60-70m in the last minute vs PSG.

 

[jamrock]

All those non world class players for PSG sure made the right decisions after the 27th minute lol.

We need how many WC players to the WC?