Flick revisits a luxury problem for Xavi and Tata Martino

BarcelonaSunday's Barça-Elx match was the first game without Pedri González López. A thigh injury will force The Canary Islander's season will be suspended until December, and consequently, Hansi Flick's team will have to reinvent itself. Unlike Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernández, the German coach had always had at his disposal the most influential midfielder in La Liga, the leader in touches, passes completed, and successful passes, and second only to Luis Milla of Getafe in ball recoveries. In the first match without him, Flick positioned Marc Casadó at the back, and Frenkie de Jong, who normally occupies this deeper position, moved forward to try and fill the void. The Dutch player, as admitted by the visiting coach, Eder Sarabia, was one of the most disruptive elements. "He knows exactly where to hurt us. That's what unsettled us in the first half," he stated. Quique Setién's former assistant at Barça.

Despite De Jong's improved performance, Barcelona fans were reminded once again that a match without Pedri is not the same as one with him. For long stretches, the team seemed content to chase the ball instead of controlling it, and when they did have possession, they were less precise in their passing. During the 90 minutes against Elche, Barça made 203 fewer passes and were 6% less accurate in their distribution compared to the Clásico on October 26th. As a result of this more direct approach – all three goals from Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Marcus Rashford came on the counter-attack – Barça lost possession overall, with 49% compared to Elche's 51%. Elche, at times, camped out in Wojciech Szczesny's half, fortunately only managing one shot on target and two hitting the post. This is the first time Flick's Barça have lost possession in a league match and only the second time in all competitions. Only Bayern Munich, a year ago in the Champions League, dominated the Blaugrana in this regard (42-57%). in a duel that Raphinha decided with a hat-trick spectacular.

"It's a statistic that doesn't tell us much, but it does give the impression that we've been proactive," Sarabia emphasized in Sunday's post-match press conference, which could mark a turning point for Barça without Pedri. The last time the Blaugrana lost possession in a league match was also during a partial absence of the player from Tegueste. He was returning from injury and entered the pitch in the 57th minute of a Real Sociedad - Barça match in which they txuri-urdin They had possession for longer periods (51-49%). The match, played exactly two years ago, was decided by a dramatic Barcelona victory in stoppage time (0-1) with a goal from Araujo, who finished off a great pass from İlkay Gündoğan from a striker's position. With Xavi on the Barça bench, the Catalans also won a Copa del Rey Clásico at the Bernabéu with the same scoreline and even less possession. Without Pedri in the starting lineup for that match, the Catalans prevailed with an own goal by Militao and only 35% possession.

Gerardo Martino's "weekly crisis"

In all the precedents cited so far, the loss of possession was compensated for by the scoreline, thus transforming a symptom of a subdued and out-of-control team into a minor problem that Barcelona fans have grown accustomed to revisiting from time to time and have learned to put into perspective. However, more than a decade ago, with the memory of the positional play perfected by Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova much fresher, Barça having less possession than their opponent in an official match bordered on sacrilege. The successor to the Empordà native on the bench, Gerardo, certainly experienced this firsthand. Tata Martino, after a resounding 4-0 victory in Vallecas, was surprised by the voracious criticism his team received because they had less possession than Paco Jémez's Rayo Vallecano. It was the first time this had happened in five years, and days later the Argentine coach lamented the "need" of the Barcelona fanbase to create "a weekly crisis" regardless of the circumstances, whether in victory or defeat. Martino would resign at the end of a trophyless season.