HansiFlick changed his lineup in the Clásico after XaviEspart's injury, introducing the Dutchman FrenkiedeJong as a midfielder to try to reverse the score. The German coach had gone to the stadium with the usual squad, excluding Koundé, EricGarcia and DaniOlmo, and had put Espart on the right wing, Fermín in the midfield position and AnthonyGordon on the left wing.
Half an hour into the game, Espart was injured and Flick had to rethink the scheme. Balde, who had appeared in only three games this season, was introduced and moved Cancelo to the right wing. The role on the right side was more conservative than on the left, and Cancelo lost his offensive dynamism, while Balde did not seem comfortable. With Gordon on the wing, Flick decided to move him to central positions in the rival field, but the youth player failed to stand out.
In the second half, when the score was tied and Barça was looking for the advantage, Flick took off Fermín and gave way to DeJong. The Dutch player, who had been tested as a central defender, was placed in front of Rodri and Pedri, assuming the role of playmaker. During that segment, the Catalan team regained control of the ball, settled in the rival zone and managed to attack in a more structured way, something that had not happened in the first minutes of the match.
For the final five minutes, Flick swapped AnthonyGordon for Adeyemi and Raphinha for GabrielJesus. The German left the field without the Brazilian striker managing to score, while the attack was limited by Gordon's lack of movement both with and without the ball. On the bench, in addition to the goalkeepers, were Gavi, Bernal, HamzaAbdelkarim, Fariñas, OrianGoren and ÀlexCampos.
With the substitution of DeJong and the final changes, Flick sought to reorient Barça's offensive strategy, although the final result of the match was not mentioned in the report. The next step will be to evaluate the effectiveness of the tactical alterations and decide how to adjust the squad for the upcoming matches.