Analyst highlights the deficiencies in key Barcelona defender’s game that can cost him under Hansi Flick | OneFootball

After spending the first half of the season on the sidelines, Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo was able to return to full fitness by the end of 2024. However, in his absence, Hansi Flick had established Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez as his starters, and the Uruguayan has still not been able to regain his unconditional starting spot.

Still, he has been helped to some extent by the injury suffered by Martinez, and he started the game against Alaves alongside Cubarsi. However, keeping in view the nature of the game, Flick decided to substitute the Uruguayan defender with Eric Garcia.

This decision was taken mainly to help the team use the ball more effectively. At least, this was the view of the analyst Marc Mayola, who talked to SPORT to highlight the deficiencies in Arujo’s game:

“The issue against teams that sit back and don’t press high is that a player with limited creativity on the ball, like Ronald, ends up slowing down the buildup and making passes that lack purpose. Essentially, what he did was drive forward, get close to Koundé, and then pass him the ball.”

“This doesn’t attract defenders or break lines. He did this 17 times. It’s not just his responsibility, though—the midfielders also need to position themselves better behind the opponents, and they weren’t doing that well either.”

Further commenting on this aspect, the analyst said: “Araujo doesn’t have the vision or boldness that players like Cubarsí, Iñigo, or Eric have to play sharp, driven passes through the middle to break the opposition’s shape.”

“Or to look for the far option, like Lewandowski up front, so he can lay it off, creating a third-man situation where a midfielder receives the ball facing forward with a full view of the game. This forces the opponent to expend much more energy and concentration.”

Mayola also highlighted how Flick used to have two technical center-backs in his starting lineup at Bayern Munich:

“Flick had Boateng and Alaba at Bayern. Boateng was very good on the ball, bold, and quick. Alaba was the same. They were the ideal center-back pairing for Flick.”

“Araujo is a physical beast and has always compensated for his tactical shortcomings with his sheer athleticism. Now, he needs to be much more focused on maintaining the defensive line—things like positioning, body orientation, and managing the defensive shape. So far, he’s been struggling with Flick’s system.”

Lastly, the Spaniard also highlighted Barcelona captain’s strengths, but still made it clear that he would have to make some improvements:

“He has a lot of potential—he’s fast, strong, powerful in duels, and dominant in the air. But I think he needs to take a step forward in other areas to become an undisputed starter for the German coach.”

There is no doubt that Araujo is one of the best defenders in the world at the moment. However, he would still have to make some adjustments to become a more useful defender for Flick and Barcelona, and hopefully, he will be able to make these improvements in the coming weeks and months.