BARCELONA, 20 (EUROPA PRESS)
FC Barcelona faces the 2025-26 season with the aim of improving on the national treble – League, Cup and Super Cup – achieved last year, managing to amaze the football world with a very offensive and attractive style of play, but with which they conceded a lot in defense, especially in the Champions League, where they conceded up to 24 goals, being this a clear aspect that needs to be corrected during the next year at Can Barça.
Hansi Flick's team will have to improve this record without Iñigo Martínez, who was the main leader of the Blaugrana defense last season. The Basque center-back's departure to Al-Nassr is a relief in terms of financial fair play, but a very significant problem on a sporting level, as the club's financial situation doesn't allow for the signing of any reinforcements, and the German coach will have to make do with the players he currently has on his roster.
In his first season in charge of the Blaugrana, Flick opted for a defense consisting of Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, and Balde in most matches. Four players who had been under Xavi Hernández the previous year, but with the arrival of the German coach, they had to adapt to a new defensive system, positioning the defensive line very high and playing with opponents in offside positions.
This risky approach was particularly successful at the start of last season, leading to 109 offsides for opponents in the first 16 matches. The best example of this was the 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first Clásico of the season, when Real Madrid players were caught offside on 12 occasions, resulting in two goals for Kylian Mbappé being ruled out.
However, little by little, opponents began to get the better of Flick's Barça, especially in the Champions League. In eight matches in the Liga phase, the Blaugrana conceded 13 goals, making them the team that conceded the most goals of the eight teams that directly advanced to the round of 16. This defensive weakness was offset in many matches by their attacking potential, but it was clearly an area that needed improvement for the second half of the season.
This record didn't improve much in the knockout stages, with the team managing to keep just two clean sheets (1-0 against Benfica and 4-0 against Dortmund). This inability to keep a clean sheet hampered the Blaugrana in the most crucial moment of the season, the semi-final against Inter Milan, which started with two goals from the Italian side in the first 20 minutes.
Lamine Yamal's talent kept Barça alive heading into the second leg at the Giuseppe Meazza, with Hansi Flick's side coming within two minutes of securing a place in the Munich final. However, the Blaugrana were unable to hold on, and a goal from Italian center back Francesco Acerbi forced extra time, in which Barça ultimately lost 4-3.
The most notable player on that fateful night was Uruguayan Ronald Araujo, who is expected to replace Iñigo Martínez in the starting lineup. Recovering the Uruguayan defender's best form must be one of Hansi Flick's main objectives, as he also has Eric García, Andreas Christensen, and even Gerard Martín as other possible options to replace the Basque center-back.
What's clear is that the defensive system won't change, as demonstrated in the preseason matches and in the league debut against RCD Mallorca (0-3). However, this last match can't be very significant in terms of evaluating the level of the 'culer' defense, as the Vermillion team barely made it into the opponent's box after being reduced to two men in the first half.
The biggest defensive change has come in goal, with the signing of Joan García from RCD Espanyol. The Catalan goalkeeper is a reliable choice between the posts after having had an excellent season with the blue and white club, making the most saves (146) in the last La Liga season.
In his first competitive match as a Blaugrana player, the player from Sallent de Llobregat (Barcelona) made a good impression, positioning himself far from the goal to accompany the high defensive line. This should be a key aspect throughout the season, and it's crucial that the Catalan displays confidence when he comes out of the goal, something that didn't happen often last season under Wojciech Szczesny, and which ended up costing Barça several goals.
The 69 goals conceded is a record the Blaugrana must improve this season if they want to repeat or improve on last year's successes. To do so, Flick will need to find solutions to regain the defensive solidity he displayed in the first matches of the previous year and allow the club to overcome its greatest weakness.
