Atleti’s Early Chaos and Barcelona’s Composure
The game started with chaos, as Atleti love to create in the early minutes by putting a lot of energy and intensity into trying to snatch an early goal that they can later defend.
It is something they are very good at, but this time Barca did not fall for it.
Barca started the match with full focus and great defensive discipline, avoiding an early goal.
Barcelona were even close to turning their own approach against them, as they got close to scoring the early goal themselves through counters, but both of Lamine’s passes were not precise enough.
Barça Gain Control: 3-2-4-1 Structure and Flank Overloads
Eventually, their early game boost faded, and Barcelona started to see the match everyone expected, with Barcelona controlling possession while Atlético dropped into their mid or low block.
Flicks used a 3-2-4-1 setup on the ball, with Lamine and Balde holding the width, and Olmo and Raphinha operating in the half spaces.
The problem in these minutes was that Barca’s threat was limited to the flanks because Flick focused on attacking there and overloading the flanks by pushing his midfielders wide.
Pedri combined with Balde and Raphinha on the left, while Eric combined with Lamine and Kounde on the right. This meant Barca did not create enough central threat, and Olmo was marked very easily between the lines.
Wide Threats but Limited Penetration
For Flick’s wide threat, on the left, Rapha and Balde combined well but were wasteful and didn’t create real danger, especially Balde.
On the right, Kounde supported Lamine with overlaps, but Lamine rarely used passing options and tried to go alone, which didn’t work for him.
Despite the limited threat, Barca still controlled this period and kept Atleti trapped in their own half. Because no matter which flank played on, Barca always overloaded it and kept the team close together, so if Barca lost the ball, Barca could counter-press properly and win it back quickly.
Atlético’s Pressing Triggers and Barça’s Response
This was when Atleti were defending deep, but they did not do it constantly. Flick saw them alternate between deep defending and occasionally pressing with triggers, especially when the ball went to Barca’s right side.
They always tried to start their press there, aiming to exploit the weakness of Eric and Kounde under pressure.
But building under their press was not the problem because Eric and Kounde performed well, with Olmo and Lamine also dropping deep. Barca constantly created diamonds on the flanks, and all four combined brilliantly.
Where the Problems Started: Losing Shape After Beating the Press
The problem came after beating the press. There was too much rush to attack directly, and unlike when Barca attacks against a defending Atleti, where Barca’s side is organised and ready to counter-press, losing the ball here left Barca disorganised, with no proper counter-press. This is exactly what led to Atleti’s first goal.
Of course, what contributed to this was also that even without pressure on the ball carrier, Barca’s defence tried to play the offside trap.
As can be seen here, Kounde tracked Baena’s run but then suddenly stopped trying to play him offside, which allowed Baena to have a comfortable one-on-one with the keeper and score.
Barça Regain Control: Composure and Central Presence
After Barca conceded, the rush started to disappear. Atleti, of course, pressed less with the lead, but even on the rare occasions they did press, Barca attacked with more composure, turning the last 25 minutes of the half into a one-sided contest.
Flick also saw more diversity in Barca attacks. Instead of only focusing on the flanks, Flick saw at least one of the pivots pushed forward into a position between the lines, allowing them to receive there and impact the game more centrally or give Olmo the freedom to receive the ball and create chances.
So Olmo finally started seeing more of the ball and making his impact in tight spaces, which is what led to him winning the penalty.
Positional Rotations and Raphinha’s Equaliser
Barca also saw more positional flexibility. For example, here, Olmo and Raphinha switched positions, with Raphinha operating in the right half-space and Olmo in the left.
This was very effective because Atleti left a lot of space between their left centre back and left back.
This is a gap many teams leave against Barca, as the opponent LB has to stay close to Lamine, detaching him from the rest of the team. While Olmo is not the best at exploiting runs, Raphinha, in just a few minutes in that position, brilliantly took advantage of the space, and Pedri found him with a beautiful pass, giving Barca the equaliser.
Lamine Isolated for 1v1 Threats
For the wide threat, Barca continued to rely on Balde and Raphinha combining on the left. On
the right, since Lamine was focusing more on individual play, instead of overloading his side with teammates, Barca started overloading the left side more and then switching to Lamine alone on the right to give him more space for 1v1s.
This allowed him to dribble more, create more danger, and he almost got an assist with his beautiful cross to Lewandowski.
Pressing Drop-Off Before Halftime
One problem Flick has to point out is that in the last five minutes of this half, the intensity, especially in pressing, dropped noticeably. This is the pressing structure Flick used in this game.
As you can see, Lamine was allowed to stay wide while Lewandowski was the one leading the press with Raphinha.
Things were working really well from the start. The press was effective, and Atleti were forced into random long balls.
But eventually, late in this half, Flick saw sequences where Lewy was too far from the centre-backs to start the press, leaving Raphinha pressing alone upfront, with neither Olmo nor Lamine stepping out to cover Lewy in the structure.
This happened in two or three sequences in a row, which was frustrating and led to the chance where Martin had to commit a risky foul and receive a yellow card.
But overall, the first half was very strong. Barca were clearly the better side and deserved to be ahead, not drawing.
Second Half: Atlético Push Higher and Barça Find More Space
In the second half, Barca continued with the same approach and structure. However, Atleti started taking more risks in the buildup, pressing higher and attacking more, which allowed them to exploit weaknesses in our pressing structure.
One important problem was that when Balde pushed up to press, Barca shifted into a back three, forcing Kounde to tuck in centrally and leaving a lot of space on the left for an easy switch.
This issue was present in the first half, but Atleti started exploiting it more now.
Atleti’s Adjustments and Barça’s Response Through the Centre
Flick also saw Alvarez move more to the right and play wider to escape Eric’s marking and create danger with his runs, disturbing our defensive structure.
Yet, as much as this extra attacking push made Atleti more dangerous, it also left them more exposed at the back.
This happened because while Atleti tried to push higher and press more in this half, Barca had no problem bypassing their press.
Unlike the first half, where combinations were mostly on the right, this half saw more diversity in buildup, especially by going centrally through Pedri.
Pedri, Olmo and the Escape From the 4-4-2 Press
As Atleti pressed in a 4-4-2, their two attackers closed the passing lanes from Joan Garcia to the centre backs. But as you can see here, it was Atleti’s pivots pressing Pedri and Eric, which gave them some freedom to receive the ball from Joan.
So Pedri can simply receive from the GK and pass to the CB, where the passing lane is more open to him.
And of course, with their two pivots pressing Eric and Pedri, Olmo was free, allowing the centre back to find him with a simple pass. This is why Barca kept bypassing Atleti’s press, whether it was a high press or a midfield press, and we saw much more space in our attack.
Even Lamine found himself in 1v1 situations more often, and he created a huge chance that, sadly, Raphinha ended up missing it.
Central Dominance Leads to the Second Goal
Even when Atleti defended deeper in the second half, their setup became riskier. In the first half, at least one of their pivots stayed back to mark Olmo, limiting his influence. In this half, both pivots stepped up to press Pedri and Eric, leaving Olmo only marked by a centre back.
This gave him plenty of space between the lines, allowing him to receive the ball comfortably, and that’s what led to our second goal.
Game Management, Substitutions and Defensive Reinforcement
Yet even after taking the lead, Flick knew it was too early to sit back and defend for a long period. That’s why the team continued pressing high and maintaining a high defensive line, even with a 2-1 advantage. But when Pedri and Raphinha asked to be substituted, adjustments needed to be made.
This is when Flick began making adjustments. Both wingers, Rashford and Lamine, stayed wide to cover the opponent’s fullbacks. This allowed Balde to avoid stepping up, which limited the spaces on the flanks for Atleti and finally fixed that defensive problem.
However, the defensive line remained quite high, which was a risky approach in these minutes. Atleti nearly exploited it when their substitute Almada made a great run, outpacing Cubarsí and even dribbling the goalkeeper. Luckily for Flick, he lost his balance and missed the chance.
So here, Flick finally decided to drop the defensive line and defend deeper in a mid-block. The team did well in this setup: Casado and Eric covered the centre, Martin handled Sorloth effectively, and Rashford showed great discipline covering with Balde.
However, Lamine was tired and did not track back properly. Flick subbed him off for Christensen, who pushed Dro to the flank, allowing Barca to play with three defensive pivots. This covered the flanks and the centre better and added more aerial presence, as we saw Christensen stay with Sorloth in crosses and set pieces.
Ferran Seals the Victory on the Counter
Obviously, with Atleti trailing and pushing for an equaliser, there was a lot of space on the counter, especially on Rashford’s side. After two missed counter-attacking opportunities, Barca finally sealed the game with a third goal from Ferran in the last minute.
Conclusion: Flick Football Is Back
This was a brilliant performance in a big game. While some defensive issues persist, they were overshadowed by Barca’s dominant attacking play, and that’s the Barça style everyone loved last season, not necessarily defensively solid but consistently outscoring opponents.
This is the Flick football, the Flick football every cule loves. Hopefully, this isn’t just one performance or just three points, or just one win, but a turning point in Barcelona’s season, potentially giving the confidence needed to get back on track for consistent, strong performances.
