Hansi Flick has shed light on the root cause of Barcelona’s defensive problems this season, admitting that a lack of collective pressing has left his backline exposed far too often.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s La Liga trip to face an in-form Celta Vigo, the German coach addressed growing criticism following Barça’s disjointed defensive display in the 3-2 loss to Club Brugge earlier this week — their worst showing of the campaign so far.
Hansi Flick believes the issue lies not in the back four itself, but in the team’s overall defensive structure and the distance between the attacking and defensive units.
“We saw it against Brugge — sometimes our line is too deep, and the forwards are too far away from the rest of the team,” Hansi Flick explained. “We have to be more connected, with and without the ball. That’s what we’re missing. We’ve talked about it, and I hope we can do much better tomorrow.”
Flick’s comments clarify that when he says “the line is too deep,” he isn’t criticizing the defenders’ positioning. Rather, he’s pointing to a lack of pressing from the forwards, which allows opponents to play through midfield too easily.
The German manager’s philosophy relies on coordinated pressing, where every player contributes off the ball. At the moment, Flick feels only the defenders are maintaining that intensity — and they’re unfairly taking the brunt of the criticism for goals conceded.
“My system only works if everyone is working,” Hansi Flick stressed. “If even one or two players switch off, we lose our compactness. That’s when problems start. Everyone has to take responsibility — not just the back line.”
Barcelona head into the Celta Vigo clash under pressure to tighten up defensively while rediscovering their attacking rhythm. With Flick demanding full commitment from front to back, Sunday’s test in Galicia will reveal whether his message has sunk in.
