One of the biggest takeaways from Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Real Betis in the King’s Cup Last night was the success of Hansi Flick’s tactical experiment.
The coach chose to reasonably rotate his squad for the cup match after the victory in The Classic And that’s how Robert Lewandowski rested that night. However, instead of opting for a striker instead, he used Dani Olmo.
The Spaniard’s role that night, therefore, was that of false nine, a position initially popularized by Pep Guardiola’s use of Lionel Messi at Barcelona.
A great success
As transmitted by Sports World In a recent update, Hansi Flick is very happy with the outcome of his experiment that night and is encouraged to use it as a solution in the future.
Faith in Lewandowski remains total and the Polish striker will continue to be the team’s greatest attacking resource most of the time.
However, given his age, the need to rotate him arises more frequently and the false nine plan fits there.
Last night’s result showed Flick that he does not need a striker to fill the void created by Lewandowski’s absence and that placing Olmo as a false nine can increase the chances of the profiles around him in front of goal.
As seen last night, the top scorer of Euro 2024 was a thorn in the foot of the Real Betis defense who simply did not know how to control his movements.
As a result, Pedri, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong feasted on the distracted defense.
Looking ahead to this campaign, it is therefore likely that the coach will continue using Olmo as a replacement when the striker needs to rest.
Needless to say, the successful experiment also encourages the coach to use dynamics to alter the flow of a game as needed as a tactical change as well.