Hansi Flick’s go-to Barcelona starters after 10 games of the campaign – Report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have played 10 games so far this season across La Liga and the Champions League. From these 10 games, Hansi Flick has eight wins and two losses and the general mood around the club is quite positive.

The German coach has transformed the style of football the team has been playing and brought the best out of players like Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski. The Catalan club is one of the most free-scoring teams in Europe, a stark contrast to the pragmatism under Xavi.

Flick has shown in these games that he isn’t afraid of rotating when players need rest and has used young, La Masia graduates to fill gaps during rotations. It has worked out at times but also come back to haunt them like the loss against Osasuna.

With 10 games into the Hansi Flick era, Mundo Deportivo has taken a look at the starters that the German coach has preferred the most times in his short span so far. The only two players to have started every single game so far as Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde.

Of the two, Koundé is the only one to have played every minute under Hansi Flick so far. Flick has been thoroughly impressed with the Frenchman’s work ethic, even calling him ‘unbelievable‘ and suggesting that managing his minutes is never a concern.

Furthermore, Flick has deployed four different backlines so far, with the most frequent combination featuring Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, and Balde. He has also experimented with five different pairings in the double pivot, with Marc Casadó and Pedri being the most utilized duo.

In attack, Robert Lewandowski has remained a consistent presence for Barcelona. Aside from him, Flick has utilized five different forward lines, with the trio of Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Lamine Yamal being the most frequently featured so far.

Injuries, of course, have significantly influenced his decision-making. For instance, had Dani Olmo not been injured, he would likely have joined Lamine and Raphinha as part of the most used forward line under Flick.

Regardless, the German coach has done an excellent job with the resources at his disposal, both in terms of results and player rotations. It will be interesting to see how Flick lines up against Alavés on Sunday.