Barcelona unable to win against Leganes despite having the highest ball possession in Flick era | OneFootball

After a highly motivating start to the 2024-25 season, FC Barcelona have seen their performances getting deflated in the last few months, especially in La Liga.

The Blaugranes have only been able to win only 1 of their last 6 games, losing 3 and drawing 2 of the rest of the 5 games. With these results, the Catalans have seen their lead at the top of the table evaporate in a matter of weeks, and Atletico Madrid have already drawn level on points with them, despite having a game in hand.

The past few performances have raised doubts about some of the aspects of the playing style that Hansi Flick has implemented at Barcelona, which is starkly different from the style that the last coach, Xavi Hernandez, preferred for his team.

One of the main differences in the approach of these two coaches is regarding the possession of the ball, as Xavi, in true Barcelona style, put a greater emphasis on retaining control of the ball and game for the most part of the game. On the other hand, Flick does not rely on having the maximum degree of possession, but more on making the most of their chances whenever they get the ball.

The Catalans did not really dominate possession in their most convincing victories of this season. Against Real Madrid, they had 59% possession, 56% against Girona, and only 39% in the win over Bayern Munich.

On the other hand, Barcelona had a lot of possession in their last game against Leganes but still fell to a defeat. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugranes kept the ball for 80% of the duration of the game, the highest they have been able to do since the arrival of Hansi Flick.

However, even with this much possession, they were able to generate only 4 shots on goal, as the forwards were unable to put in many dangerous crosses or threatening shots from long range. Thus, Flick has a difficult task on his hands to ensure his team translates its possession of the ball into meaningful goals going forward.