Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
October 2025

Cubarsí said Barça have modified four defensive elements—narrower rest defense, faster recovery runs, tighter forward marking, and adjusted build-up positions—to counter Mbappé/Vinícius amid an injury-hit squad before the Bernabéu clash. After issues versus PSG/Sevilla, Flick pulled the back line five yards deeper on turnovers, pinched fullbacks into half-spaces, assigned shadow coverage on Mbappé’s inside runs, and emphasized dead-ball organization to cut Madrid’s transition lifelines.