Islam Bouafif 🇹🇳🇵🇸

1/ Lineup I appreciated Flick's decision to continue relying on Gavi for the third spot in midfield. In the absence of Olmo, Gavi is undoubtedly the best choice, and Flick's trust in him clearly paid off with his impressive performance.

Yamal starting was also expected—if he’s fit and ready, no manager would bench him in a game of this magnitude. However, the biggest surprise was Szczesny starting over Peña. Rumors suggest Peña was benched because he arrived late to training, and whether that’s true or not,...

I like the sense of competition it brings. Despite the limited sample size, Szczesny showed he’s ready to step in whenever needed. With more game time and rhythm, he might even prove to be on a better level than Peña.

2/The first half Bilbao began the 1st half with an aggressive high press in our half, but we had multiple solutions to bypass their pressing structure effectively. One of the best approaches was utilizing the right side, where a clever combination between Gavi and Yamal stood out

Gavi often moved wide, dragging Bilbao's pivot and opening gaps in their midfield, which Yamal or Lewandowski exploited by dropping deep to receive the ball from Koundé. This was the most effective way to beat their press but not the only one.

Another solution involved freeing up Cubarsi by having Szczesny hold the ball until Bilbao’s striker have to leave Cubarsi and press Szczesny, while also closing the direct passing line to Cubarsi so Szczesny would get the ball to Pedri, who then passes it easily to cubarsi.

We also saw Lewandowski drop deep on the left to form a triangle with Pedri and Balde, that made buildup easier and also dragging defenders to create space for Raphinha, Yamal, and Gavi, who were all very good at exploiting that space with their impressive movement.

Even without Lewy, Balde's dribbling and Pedri's creativity were enough for us to advance the ball on the left side like what happened in the sequence of our first goal with Balde dragging 2 defenders to create the space for Pedri who quickly realised it and exploited that space

So combining these methods and solutions allowed us to bypass Bilbao's press consistently. After breaking their press, the team either attacked the space directly or controlled possession, forcing Bilbao to retreat and when that happened we relied a lot on overloads.

Especially overloading the left side to draw defenders, then relying on Pedri or Inigo to switch the play quickly to Lamine or Koundé on the right, who found ample space to exploit with this strategy and created a lot of danger in the right side.

on top of this great attacking display we also pressed with high intensity, Gavi's presence helped our pressing structure, because it released Yamal from pressing on CBs as Gavi was the one doing that work with Raphinha, so Bilbao failed to keep the ball or build any good attacks

But this wasn't how we played the whole half, this were the first 20-25 minutes were we completely dominated, with high possession, dangerous chances, and a well-deserved goal, that could've been more then one goal, if we took our chances better.

However, the dynamic shifted in the latter part of the half. Barça reduced their pressing intensity and dropped their defensive block slightly, which felt more like a tactical decision—possibly to conserve energy ahead of a potential Clásico/final—than a lack of effort.

There were clearly some good defensive adjustments including tracking midfield runners and marking attackers better during crosses rather than relying solely on the offside trap, an improvement I’ve wanted to see for a long time.

Despite positives, some issues persisted, particularly the lack of chemistry between Íñigo and Balde in marking players like Iñaki Williams, who frequently moved from right to center and caused some problems but we held up well and conceded few dangerous chances in the first half

So i don't think our defence was the problem in this part of the half, but the problem is that we lost a lot of possession and control. The earlier solutions for beating Bilbao's press faded, and the team became overly reliant on Lewandowski dropping deep.

Unfortunately, the over reliance on this approach led to a lot of poor touches and misplaced passes, which led to frequent turnovers. The balance between direct play and possession from the first 20-25 minutes was lost, as attacks became rushed and much less effective.

Overall, the half can be divided into two parts: an opening phase of dominance with fluid attacking and control, followed by a phase where control slipped, but the team defended solidly and maintained the lead.

3/The second Half Barça returned to high pressing and aggressive attacking. Flick's approach seemed clear: go all out in the early minutes, score a second goal to secure the game, then shift to a safer and more defensive tactic while resting key players who need rest.

This plan worked perfectly, as the high press allowed us to win the ball in dangerous areas multiple times, including the sequence that led to our second goal. The earlier issue of over-reliance on Lewandowski dropping deep on the left was also addressed.

We saw a return of effective right-side combinations involving Gavi, Yamal, and Koundé, as well as increased positional flexibility between Pedri and Casado. This movement created confusion for Bilbao’s midfield and granted Pedri more freedom to dictate play.

After scoring the second goal, the team dropped their defensive line slightly and adopted a safer, less intense pressing strategy, similar to the latter stages of the first half. However, unlike earlier, Barça managed to maintain a better balance between direct play and control.

Bilbao players began to show signs of fatigue, which forced them to drop their press in certain phases, that's when we focused on retaining possession and controlling the tempo. Conversely, when they pressed, we played more direct through quick build-ups, long balls and counters.

The directness proved more successful than in the first half, as there were much more spaces left by them, we created several opportunities to kill the game with a third goal. Unfortunately, poor finishing, particularly from Lewandowski and Raphinha, kept the scoreline unchanged.

The substitutions brought fresh energy to the pressing game, crucial for maintaining defensive intensity. Ferran, in particular, provided a noticeable improvement in pressing compared to Lewandowski. Despite these positives, the performance was far from perfect

While the offside trap was less relied upon and better executed, defensive vulnerabilities persisted. The recurring issue of who should mark Iñaki Williams between Íñigo and Balde remained unresolved in this half, leading to dangerous situations

Additionally, individual errors, such as Frenkie and Raphinha losing possession in risky areas, put us under unnecessary pressure. Fortunately, Szczesny’s composure and timely interventions, along with the offside trap, prevented us from conceding.

4/Conclusion: Overall, this was an excellent game—arguably one of the most tactically balanced performances I’ve seen under Flick. He demonstrated a clear understanding of when to press high and when to drop back, when to play direct, and when to focus on maintaining control.

The team alternated effectively between relying on the offside trap and marking players directly, while also utilizing a variety of solutions to beat the press and launch attacks. It was a versatile and well-rounded display.

However, some issues persist, including inefficiency in front of goal, lapses in concentration leading to errors, and lingering defensive gaps. Addressing at least some of these problems will be crucial for securing victory in the final.