The transfer market stumble is the reason: will Flick's emergency weapon solve Barcelona's worrying crisis? | Goal.com
Barcelona thrashed hosts Elche 5-0 this Sunday in the second round of the Spanish league.
The win lifted Barcelona to fourth with 3 points from one match, while Sevilla sit top on 6 points from two.
Barça produced an attacking blaze, and Raphinha lit it. Two goals and an assist put him at the top of the day's standout performers, a list that also featured the excellent Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and others.
Hansi Flick had plenty of attacking options last season, leaning on Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres to lead the line.
Both left in the current summer window, and Barcelona set out to sign a new striker. Things did not go to plan.
Atlético Madrid refused to sell Julián Álvarez, and the deal looks dead. The Rojiblancos are determined to keep the Argentine, or sell him only to a club outside Spain.
Barça had made Álvarez their main target to bolster the attack. When that deal stalled, they turned elsewhere, trying to sign the other Argentine, Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez.
On that front, Barcelona have not moved decisively. They enquired about the player's situation and the chances of a deal this summer, and left it there.
Given Barça's finances and Atlético's stance on Álvarez, Barcelona look set to complete the season, or at least reach the winter window, without a highly experienced centre-forward.
Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim was in the squad for this match, yet Flick chose to leave him on the bench despite relying on him in pre-season and his good form.
Experience won out. Flick turned to his trusted names, even at the cost of shuffling positions, as he did with Raphinha and Karim Adeyemi.
He played Raphinha as a false nine, despite the Brazilian's quality on the left, a berth occupied by Karim Adeyemi, a right winger by trade.
Lamine Yamal took the right. Behind that trio sat Fermín López, who delivered a hugely impressive display.
You can discuss topics and news in more depth in the "Kooora" forums Flick's plan worked. Raphinha, out of position, was the match's number one star, bursting from deep and picking out his teammates with outstanding passes.
Raphinha won and scored a penalty, added another goal, and teed up Karim Adeyemi, who took his chance as he should have.
Everyone could see Lamine Yamal fade against Elche. The young winger offered little before Flick withdrew him in the 65th minute for new arrival Anthony Gordon.
Gordon seized his moment on his first official appearance, stealing the spotlight. He set up the third for Raphinha and the fourth for Fermín López, who then added the fifth from a Chavi Espart assist.
Last season Flick built around an out-and-out centre-forward, with Lewandowski or Torres holding positions close to goal, the side working the ball into the striker and the wingers offering support.
Today the picture changed. Flick reached for the false nine, which sharpened Barcelona's attacking speed and multiplied the sources of danger.
A false nine drops deep to collect the ball, dragging defenders out of the danger zones, even slightly, and opening the door for wingers to dart inside and exploit the gaps left behind. That is exactly what created the second goal from Karim Adeyemi.
Barcelona were superb, especially in the second half, when they scored 3 goals and could have added more. Even so, Flick's new approach cannot be judged yet.
Raphinha shone as a false nine, Gordon and Fermín López caught the eye, and the danger came from all angles. But Elche simply do not compare with Barça in the first place.
On paper, Barcelona were strong enough to win comfortably, even in their opening match of the new Spanish league season.
You can discuss topics and news in more depth in the "Kooora" forums Elche finished 15th in La Liga last season, managing only 10 wins in 38 rounds, and they opened this campaign with a 1-1 draw against Deportivo La Coruña, back in La Liga after a long absence.
The coming matches will tell the story. They will show whether Barça suffer without a highly experienced centre-forward capable of deciding games and filling the void left by Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, or whether the false nine proves a winning solution this season.
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