Gullit: All Barcelona players believe that a defense that is too high is a suicidal tactic

Barcelona's defensive system has caused controversy. The sheer number of chances created by opponents in every game has caused concern among fans and the media. Every body tried to find the root of the problem by interviewing professionals such as technical expert Luis Carreras and technical analyst Gerald Ott.

Carreras put forward a different view on the generally considered intensity problem. He believed: "If Barcelona no longer presses like before, it is because they have lost possession of the ball. Flick does not believe that the team should control the game through possession. His team places great emphasis on counterattacks and does not pay attention to the midfield."

Carreras talked about Barcelona's match lineup against Bruges. He believed: "Except for De Jong and Casado, other players seem unnatural in controlling the ball, because Fermin often enters the penalty area, Konde and Balde are more inclined to attack, and Araujo also has difficulties in this area. You don't have the ball because your players cannot maintain possession."

He concluded: "Tell me what kind of midfield you arrange, and I can tell you what this team is like."

Carreras believes that not all the responsibility lies with Flick, and the players also made personal mistakes because they "focused too much on the offside line, leading to mistakes, such as allowing the opponent to attack from their own half, which should not happen."

On the other hand, Gerald Ott believes: "This is a question of organizational structure, about how to attack. If you accept the transition of offense and defense with the opponent, it will be more difficult for you this season. You will be stretched far apart. When you lose the ball, you will be very exposed."

He gave a clear example: "Even with Usain Bolt, he will be beaten by his opponent. If the passer is not under pressure, it will be difficult to be perfect."

As a former central defender, Ott expressed sympathy for players in these positions, believing that they "always have to pay attention to the offside line, which sometimes leads to incoordination."

Catalan TV commentator Ott agreed with Carreras's view that Flick "is comfortable in the transition between offense and defense. He wanted to play like this from the beginning. Constant pressure for 90 minutes forces you to always press like a beast, which is very difficult."

Ott also reminded: "We are missing three core players this month, namely Rafinha, Pedri and Juan Garcia. We cannot blame everything on the coach."

His conclusion is: "It is very easy for teams to be caught by opponents when they lose possession of the ball, just like Van Naken did in Bruges."

Former captain José Mari Baquero expressed his view on the "Cadena SER" program: "Barcelona has always had a very clear philosophy since the days of Johan Cruyff, but we have never seen such an advanced defense."

Bacro believes: "Some factors may affect decision-making, such as individual or collective status. If there is a lack of confidence, the coach must provide solutions. The current team gives people a sense of insecurity."

The former player emphasized: "Leadership on the field is very important. Some players need to know when to speed up or slow down and adjust the rhythm according to the situation of the game. It is not a matter of changing the mode, but fine-tuning."

There are also voices abroad that severely criticize Barcelona. One of them is Thierry Henry, who said on the CBS Sports Golazo program: "Everyone knows what happened against Benfica and Inter Milan last season. The number of goals conceded is exaggerated, and most of the goals conceded are very easy for the opponent. They must solve this problem as soon as possible, otherwise it is impossible to win in European competitions."

Another important opinion comes from Dutchman Ruud Gullit, who said: "All Barcelona players believe that (the forward defense) is a suicidal tactic."

Mini-game recommendations:War Lands