FC Barcelona have spent much of the season benefiting from the flexibility within Hansi Flick’s squad, but that depth is now being tested in a far less comfortable way.
The injuries have begun to accumulate in one area at the same time, leaving Flick with fewer natural options and forcing him to consider solutions that would normally sit much further down the list. Against Alavés, that could produce one of Barcelona’s most experimental back lines of the season. According to [Mundo Deportivo](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/solomoto/electricas/20261030/1004244711/bmw-compra-marca-motos-crear-nueva-offroad-sera-moto-embrague-digital-electrica.html), Flick tested a defence featuring Brian Fariñas, Pau Cubarsi, Frenkie de Jong and Joao Cancelo in front of Joan Garcia.
The most striking element is De Jong as the Dutchman has spent the majority of his Barcelona career in midfield, but his ability to progress the ball under pressure and read passing lanes makes him a plausible emergency option in central defence. In a game Barca are expected to dominate territorially, Flick may view his distribution from deep as a way of maintaining control despite the absences.
Barcelona are without Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart, while Jules Kounde has also failed to recover sufficiently from the ankle discomfort that has troubled him. That leaves Flick with very limited room for manoeuvre.
Gerard Martin could still be used, while Alejandro Balde remains available, although the coach has publicly questioned the latter’s confidence in recent weeks. The fact that neither featured in the tested back four suggests Flick is considering a more aggressive reshuffle rather than simply replacing injured players position for position.
Upfield the team tested was far more familiar as Rodri and Pedri operated together in midfield, with Lamine Yamal and Karim Adeyemi wide, Fermín Lopez in the No. 10 role and Raphinha leading the attack.
The injuries are inconvenient, but they also reveal something important about Flick’s approach. Rather than abandoning Barcelona’s principles, he appears willing to reshape personnel while preserving the same idea: build cleanly from the back, push numbers into midfield and keep the team aggressive in possession.
Using De Jong in defence would carry obvious risk, particularly against transitions and aerial attacks. But against Alaves, it could also give Barça an extra passer in the first phase and make their buildup harder to press.
The real test is whether improvisation becomes instability but Barcelona should still have enough quality to control the game. Flick’s challenge is making sure an emergency defence does not turn a manageable fixture into an unnecessarily chaotic one.