Barcelona succumbed to a thumping 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla on Sunday. This was Barca’s first major La Liga defeat under the Flick regime, and former player Lopez, who represented the club between 2000 and 2005, lashed out with sharp criticism of his tactics. While the German opts for a high line while attacking, Lopez believes that his strategy needs to be rethought, with several teams now getting accustomed to their style.
Lopez analysed Barca’s defensive shortcomings thoroughly after the game and said: “It’s clear that there’s a drop in results at FC Barcelona… What I do see is that the defeat could lead to a rethinking of the defensive aspect. It’s one thing to push forward and do it well, as he’s done on many occasions, and another to be… suicidal. Without putting the ball under pressure, teams have to constantly draw their line in the end… (Flick) has been here for a year now, a year and a half, and we have to be critical of this Barça in terms of the way they defend. There was no intensity in the pressing, nor was there the necessary timing to enable Sevilla players on many occasions.”
The loss against Sevilla is also crucial since it marks Barca’s second defeat in a row over the past week. In the Champions League, they were humbled by Luis Enrique‘s Paris Saint-Germain at home, despite the presence of players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Frenkie De Jong, and Ferran Torres.
Barca’s next challenge will be in La Liga against Girona on October 18. Flick will get time to restructure his defensive strategy throughout the international break ahead of the resumption of domestic duties.
