Islam Bouafif 🇹🇳🇵🇸 ✓

@BouafifNour Joan Cubarsi Rodri Pedri Olmo Fermin Lamine Raphinha A Fit Frenkie is debatable too. 1.4K views · 49 likes · 1 reposts · 1 replies Open on X →

@BouafifNour Yamal, Raphinha, Rodri, Pedri and Cubarsi That’s my list 2.6K views · 65 likes · 1 reposts · 3 replies Open on X →

@BouafifNour Rodri Raphinha Lamine Pedri Cubarsi Fermin Joan is close but not yet, that’s it. Nobody else, no exceptions. 1.1K views · 21 likes · 0 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

How many world-class players do we have in our squad right now? https://t.co/3nqHiJXEGC

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The thing is, i think even Madrid fans will side with Lamine on this one 9.2K views · 454 likes · 10 reposts · 2 replies Open on X →

The idea of Cancelo at right-back and Espart at left-back would probably have been suicidal and not even worth considering before. But now, with Rodri and Gordon, I can actually see situations where it could work. The main reason it wouldn't have worked in the past is because ht

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How many teams in the world have a first-choice midfield that's better than our second-choice midfield? https://t.co/qK8HeSCLCM

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Something we've had since last season, and which is becoming incredibly important again this season, is Joan Garcia's sweeping ability. I feel like it often goes unnoticed because when a goalkeeper rushes out and clears the ball, it can look like a completely routine action. But

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@BouafifNour Really good thread as usual, brother 🤝🏼 One thing I can add on Gordon: his value goes beyond simply giving Barça another dangerous winger. Last season, most teams could lean extra numbers toward Lamine's side and accept the risk on the opposite flank. If Gordon ke 252 views · 17 likes · 0 reposts · 1 replies Open on X →

Overall, we’re looking at a much more fluid and flexible system this season, it's working so far with 3 comfortable wins and I’m very excited to see how it works in bigger games. End of thread. Thank you for reading ❤️ https://t.co/Szw2E5MqTf

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3⃣Conclusion It’s clear from the start of this season that Flick is preparing for a lot of changes in his attacking structure: different positioning from the LB and LW with Gordon, a less rigid double pivot closer to a 4-3-3 with Rodri and a more hybrid striker role with Rapha. h

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Those rushed build-up decisions also caused dangerous turnovers giving Rayo chances before Barca could reorganise. So they were far more threatening in this half as Barca lost some control, dangerous turnovers increased and Kounde’s side remained vulnerable. But still the https:

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So overall, even though the 2nd half was messier, Barca’s attacking threat never disappeared. Defensively however, even with the same pressing structure, the loss of control affected its intensity. Losing possession and rushing attacks gave the players less time to recover with h

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Espart moving into midfield also continued the principle of one pivot stepping between the lines to create an overload. We saw this in the build-up to the 5th goal. The finish was obviously all Lamine but the attack was able to progress because Espart positioning gave him an easy

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After Pedri was substituted and Espart moved into midfield, some of that control was lost again, and we started seeing some of those rushed decisions in buildup appear again but with Rodri there the game never became complete chaos and Barca still had most of the possession. http

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Rodri’s introduction helped restore control, especially in the 10-15 mins he shared with Pedri. Instead of forcing vertical passes, he recycled possession and played backwards when needed, slowing the tempo and giving Barca time to reset rather than constantly playing in chaos. h

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We started seeing almost all of the players in buildup, maybe with the exception of Pedri, start taking rushed decisions and forced vertical passes instead of recycling possession, and waiting for the right moment. It felt like going 3-1 up made them take the game for granted htt

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However, the press did lead to Barca loosing control at times especially after the 3rd goal but I don’t think it was a structural issue. We had already seen solutions to Rayo’s press as i've explained earlier, but the players stopped using those solutions with the same patience.

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On top of that, pushing higher and committing more players forward opened more space every time Barca won the ball for counters. As you can see all the space here in the counter that led to Raphinha’s goal after Gordon’s brilliant assist, and it led to many other chances too like

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Rayo pushing higher also made them even more exposed to the central overloads Barca created. Their higher line left more space between midfield and defence, giving our players more freedom between the lines, as seen with Olmo here in the build-up to the third goal. https://t.co/1

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We also saw Barca as usual use triangles on both sides to progress. Pedri pushed to the left to combine with Gordon and Espart, while Olmo did the same with Lamine and Kounde on the right. Olmo would even go wide sometimes and be the first passing option to Kounde before Lamine h

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When Barca built from the right Rayo’s entire press shifted over to close the ball side leaving the opposite flank open, often for Espart. The solution was simple: attract the press, stay composed, until you find a good angle to make the switch to the free man on the other side.

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2⃣Second Half Rayo started the second half much more aggressively, pressing higher and abandoning the deep block more often. However, their press remained mostly zonal rather than man-to-man, reacting to the ball rather than following specific opponents. https://t.co/DS5gdDjN4d

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Overall, this was a very strong first half. Apart from that mistake, Barca conceded no big chances while creating plenty themselves. We dominated possession, pressed well and constantly created danger. It was far more one-sided than the scoreline suggested. https://t.co/DbQcIkmHP

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The four defenders and DM were all in position so Barca should have dealt with this. The mistake was Kounde’s anticipation: he tried to intercept a pass he was never going to reach. If he Simply tracked back and faced the winger 1v1 we would deal with the situation much better ht

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Even the goal was more about an individual mistake than a structural issue. It started with a throw-in on the left, naturally pulling our defence over, before Rayo switched play and found space on the opposite flank. But even then, the defensive structure was still in place... ht

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Because of this, Barca were able to push their fullbacks in the press without being punished, so the press worked extremely well in the first half. Rayo struggled to play through it and were forced into long balls. This led to Barca dominating possession (72%) and barely https://

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Rayo’s buildup under their new coach is naturally narrow. Their wingers tuck inside and the striker drops deeper, allowing Barca’s CBs to handle the wingers without being dragged too far from the centre, while Bernal could deal with the striker in deeper areas. https://t.co/nhJGV

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Off the ball, Barca pressed high as usual. Lamine and Gordon led centrally, Olmo and Raphinha behind them targeted Rayo’s pivots, while Kounde and Espart stepped high onto their fullbacks. It’s aggressive and risky system, since both of your fullbacks are out of position, but htt

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