Nico Williams at Flick's Barça: some doubts amid certainty

BarcelonaWhen a player changes teams, he begins a process of adaptation to the new reality surrounding him. In some cases, it takes less time, in others, longer. And there are even footballers who never really get used to the team that signed him. Most changes also test the player's ability to adjust to social changes: a new club, a new city in most cases, and, perhaps, the need to learn a new language and acclimatize to a different league. In this case, Nico Williams, the winger that Barça wants, We might think this process will be a piece of cake.

If the Navarrese native leaves Athletic Club and signs for the Catalan side, he wouldn't be changing leagues. Furthermore, he's demonstrated good chemistry with several players who would become his new teammates, especially Lamine Yamal. It's true that, with Spain, although they theoretically play far apart (each on one wing), they always seem to play together and very close together. Lamine Yamal's change of orientation when he receives the ball wide on the right helps, but so does Williams' ability to find his friend on the edge of the box when he has the ball and tries to sink the opponent by conquering the byline. Williams can make this pass backwards, or horizontally towards the front, once he has grouped defenders.

Similarly, it's also true that his hypothetical signing for Barça would, from the outset, raise a couple of reasonable doubts related to the nature of the winger born in Pamplona. Williams is a footballer who expresses himself best today in open spaces and by making long dribbles. To put it bluntly, those that, once executed, allow for running. At Barça, against a majority of opponents who wait in the air and try to deny you the slightest space in the opposing half, it's essential to be extremely sensitive and precise in all technical gestures. Controls, passes, one-twos, or, for example, the short dribble that allows you to outrun an opponent but quickly forces you to make another decision because you've done it in a tight space and are immediately caught out by the opponent's cover. Just because Williams isn't an expert in this area doesn't mean he can't learn. Athletic Club's style of play surely doesn't require him to take giant steps in this regard, but if he signs for Barça, it's something he'll need to improve upon.

The second important and reasonable doubt he raises is his defensive ability. More than ability, we could say predisposition, because this can be learned (they are tactical notions), and Williams has the necessary aptitude to grow in this area as well. However, he doesn't bite like Raphinha or Luis Díaz at first, and this is also an area for improvement that Flick would surely like to work on with him. Aggressive pressing is a non-negotiable part of the German coach's football portfolio.

Possible inspiration from Flick's Bayern Munich coach.

Despite these issues, the doubts, and the uncertainty that comes with any change of team, it seems reasonable that Flick wants to make Nico Williams his own Kingsley Coman at Barcelona. The Frenchman was his preferred left winger at Bayern for his work ethic and his display of a good understanding of the game, but, like Nico, also for his explosiveness, his devilish change of pace, his ability to repeat his efforts, and his talent for eliminating opponents one-on-one. Coman, however, had and still has a good short and long dribble.

On the other hand, like Nico when fit, the Coman of Flick's Bayern team would break down opposing structures and gather defenses before the final touch, whether it was a cross, pass, or shot. Also like Nico, and probably even more so, Coman has always been able to be more polished, delicate, and precise in these final touches. And it's curious because, despite not being a great finisher, he scored the greatest goal of Flick's time at Bayern, the one in the 2020 European Cup final against PSG. He headed it with his eyes closed, because, as he says, he's never been a fan of heading.

If Barça signs Williams and doesn't sell Raphinha, they'll have two different ways of interpreting the left winger. Depending on the opponent or each player's current form, Flick will opt for one or the other. This would add to the squad's richness, beyond the possibility of seeing them together with Lamine Yamal playing again and the Brazilian on the right, or Raphinha himself inside if Flick prefers not to move the Rocafonda native from the wing. The squad would offer the German coach several configurations, but that's another story altogether.