to Joachim L?w, Flick was instrumental in Germany's tactical success. However, following his departure from the national team, Germany's performance seemed to decline, which Poulson attributes to Flick's absence. Despite the early exit of Germany from the Qatar World Cup, Poulson believes that Flick’s tactics remained innovative, and the issues faced by Germany were more related to a lack of depth in talent than any failure in strategy.
On the other side of the title race, Real Madrid's new head coach Xabi Alonso faces an equally tough challenge. Poulson believes Alonso is ready for the tough times ahead and is committed to improving the team’s performance over the course of the season. Unlike his time at Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso is not rushing to impose his tactics at Real Madrid. Instead, he is gradually integrating new ideas into the club's existing 4-3-3 system, like a seasoned gardener carefully examining the soil before deciding how to graft new plants. On the training ground, Alonso has placed a strong emphasis on the fluid positioning of the midfielders. For example, when Jude Bellingham drops deep to organize the play, Federico Valverde makes sharp, unpredictable runs forward, creating a dynamic balance that confuses opponents.
Alonso's quiet revolution is also taking place behind the scenes in the dressing room. He has created personalized tactical boards for each player, with visuals comparing their movements and opponents’ defensive patterns. For example, winger Raphinha saw his breakthrough runs displayed with three arrows in different colors: red for past routes, yellow for current ones, and green for potential future channels. This kind of visual teaching has already helped Raphinha recognize that he could start his cuts half a second earlier.
Now that Flick is at Barcelona, he has the right conditions to implement his tactical vision, as the team already boasts players with strong individual characteristics. His arrival has injected new tactical life into Barcelona. In pre-season matches, Flick has already begun integrating the fast-paced counter-attacking style of German football with Barcelona's traditional possession-based system. Players like Pedri and Gavi now enjoy more freedom to make forward runs, while Robert Lewandowski has evolved into a true focal point in attack, no longer just waiting for the ball inside the box. Perhaps most surprisingly, Flick has tasked traditional winger Raphinha with more creative responsibilities in the half-spaces, demonstrating the German coach’s tactical ingenuity.
Poulson believes that subtle changes are unfolding on the pitch at Camp Nou. He points out that Flick emphasizes a quick transition from defense to attack, with the ball being played out from the back in three quick passes. This stands in interesting contrast to the extreme possession football of Pep Guardiola’s era. However, Flick is not abandoning the traditional tiki-taka style entirely; instead, he has cleverly combined its short passing sequences with direct vertical attacks. In Barcelona's recent friendly against Arsenal, their second goal was the result of a quick throw-out from goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, followed by five rapid passes that tore apart the opposition's defense. This emphasis on efficiency in attack has certainly impressed the fans.
Barcelona’s technical director recently revealed that Flick spends his evenings watching historical footage of Barcelona matches, studying the club’s footballing philosophy while simultaneously imprinting his tactical identity on the team. As Poulson said, a true tactical mastermind is not someone rigidly clinging to old ideas but an artist who finds a balance between tradition and innovation. With Flick at the helm, Barcelona could bring a refreshing new style of beautiful football to the pitch in the upcoming season. Therefore, Poulson admires Flick’s strategic brilliance and is confident that Barcelona will showcase an exciting new era of football.
