For over two months, Barcelona have taken pride in catching their opponents offside countless times in each match.
Hansi Flick’s strategy of deploying a high backline was always going to be a risky one but had proven infallible in the early parts of the season.
The pinnacle of this strategy came at the Santiago Bernabeu, when Barça managed to catch Real Madrid offside on 12 occasions, with Kylian Mbappe left red-faced by his failure to spring the trap.
The Blaugrana caught Los Blancos offside eight times only in the first time – their highest number of offside calls in a 45-minute period of a La Liga match in 11 years.
However, this daring tactic, where everything must align perfectly and harmoniously, means that the entire team must remain fully focused. Without errors. And this has faltered in the past month.
While there are various reasons for Barcelona’s recent downturn, one of the most evident is their defensive line.
Stats suggest offside trap now less effective
Numbers rarely lie. The offside statistics from Barcelona’s first 16 matches this season compared to the recent four paint a starkly different picture.
In the first 16 official games, the La Liga leaders caught their opponents offside 108 times, an average of 6.75 per match. This was indicative of the immense confidence, concentration, and intensity of the team.
Las Palmas beat Barça’s offside trap fairly easily. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
However, in the last four official matches, this average has dropped to just four. A total of 16 offside calls.
The lack of the same level of effectiveness and concentration was laid bare in the recent match against Las Palmas, where the opponents’ quick transitions exposed Barcelona’s defence far too easily.
Leading up to Fabio Silva’s match-winning goal at Montjuic, Diego Martinez’s side advanced into the area with just three touches, effortlessly getting behind Inigo Martinez.
This is something that Flick & co. must work on getting right as they face a daunting schedule coming up ahead of them this month.