The Difficulty of Realizing Barcelona's Clean Sight Mission

BRUGGE, THURSDAY — As a giant club with a plethora of achievements in the UEFA Champions League, scoring goals is not a difficult task for Barcelona. However, achieving a clean sheet seems to be an almost impossible feat for them. The 3-3 draw against Club Brugge underscores Barcelona's ongoing consistency issues, which continue to be underestimated by Hansi Flick.

Having played four Champions League matches, Barca still has not recorded a clean sheet. A total of 12 goals have been scored by Barca in those four matches. However, the sharpness in the front line does not correspond with the performance of the defense, which has conceded seven goals. Even against a club of Brugge's caliber, Barca had to struggle to secure a draw.

The performance of the defensive line has not yet been fully resolved by coach Hansi Flick. The pressing philosophy with a high defensive line has backfired, not only preventing Barca from achieving a clean sheet but also from securing a victory. The majority of the goals scored by Brugge, netted by Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbs (two goals), originated from schemes that exploited the lapses of Barca's high defensive line.

Forbs, who possesses speed and skill in dribbling the ball, has become a daunting threat to Barca's defense. With his speed, he was able to evade the offside trap, providing one assist to Tresoldi and scoring two goals.

The high defensive line that last season could outsmart Barca's opponents is no longer a daunting challenge. Many teams have found ways to counter it, including Brugge. Throughout the match, Barca managed to record only one successful offside trap.

"This is about the intensity when we do not have possession of the ball. We need to be more vigilant because with just two or three passes, they (Brugge) can create danger," said Flick.

Barca's pressing game made it difficult for Brugge to control the match. Passes per defensive action (PPDA) statistics show Brugge only made an average of 7.9 passes before winning the ball. This figure contrasts sharply with Barca's PPDA of 20.4. This means Barca players made at least 20.4 passes before being won.

Although they were outmatched in controlling the course of the match, Brugge cleverly exploited Barca's defensive weaknesses through counterattack schemes. As a result, Barca's efforts to achieve a clean sheet in the Champions League once again ended in failure.

"We should have been able to win the match. It is a mixed feeling. Conceding so many goals is the responsibility of everyone in the team," said Barca midfielder, Fermin Lopez.

Although the high defensive line approach has faced criticism recently, Flick remains steadfast. According to him, the mistakes of Barca cannot be entirely attributed to the defense, but also to the midfield. "This is not just about defending, but also about what happens in the midfield. That is what we are trying to analyze now, and we clearly need to improve in that area. We will do it," said Flick.

Although Barcelona's high defensive line is very vulnerable to exploitation by opponents, Flick stated that he will continue to apply a similar tactic. The German coach adheres to Barcelona's identity, which is known for its attacking and pressing style of play.

"We are Barca and we want to play our football. We could change everything, but I am not a coach like that. We will play according to our DNA. We will not defend in our own defensive area and rely on counterattacks to win 1-0. We can defend in the final third or continue our philosophy. We will do our best," he stated.

With that philosophy, "Blaugrana" remains a productive team just like last season. Conceding three goals from Brugge, Barca managed to respond with goals from Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and an own goal by Christos Tzolis. The resilience in chasing the deficit, Flick stated, is one of the positive points for his team in this match.

Although he was able to score a goal that saved Barca from defeat, Ferran feels very dissatisfied with his team's performance. He believes that Barca should not have conceded immediately after scoring a goal.

"That is something we need to evaluate. We are still at the beginning of the season, and it is something we need to continue to improve. We will do this to achieve good results by the end of the season," he said. (REUTERS)