Shape over a one-man plan
Hansi Flick will not build a special scheme around Kylian Mbappe. Asked at his Saturday press conference how Barcelona intend to slow the Real Madrid captain at the Camp Nou on Sunday night, the German pointed to the team’s structure instead. Positioning matters with and without the ball, he said. Without it, his players must keep sensible distances, stay compact and press the ball, which becomes vital when you defend with a high line.
The approach is the opposite of what Jose Mourinho said about Lamine Yamal a day earlier, when the Real coach ruled out any change to counter the Barcelona winger.
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A short defensive list
Flick can lean on the centre-back pairing of Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, who have been together for a few games now. He called their season superb and said he was delighted to see them grow into a unit that talks and works together.
Depth is the problem. Centre-backs Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are injured, and so is right-back Jules Kounde, whose absence for the Clasico was confirmed earlier on Saturday. Defensive midfielder Dani Olmo, who came off hurt in Tuesday’s Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, is also expected to miss out. Kick-off is at 9pm local time.
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