Joan Garcia has been talking about Hansi Flick’s high line after fresh criticism of the system the Barcelona boss has employed during his time in charge.
The Barca defence has leaked goals all season, with the suggestion being Flick’s system has been found out, and Garcia admits it’s a risky tactic.
However, the goalkeeper also explained why it can be so effective while acknowledging there have been issues in the current campaign.
“For us goalkeepers, it means being more alert throughout the entire match. It’s a risky strategy, we have to acknowledge that. But if it’s done well and you work hard, it pays off. You force the opposition to play and think faster. If they play with less space, you force them to make more mistakes, and your team has more possession. But you have to train it well because it all comes down to centimeters,” he told RAC1.
“It works, that was clear last year, but this year we have to refine a couple of things. In every match, we try to see what went wrong. We try to make the opposition feel uncomfortable, we take away their time, and we prevent them from making passes into space.”
“The coach asks us to help the defensive line as much as possible. But we know that when you do it so many times, statistically speaking, it’s possible that sometimes it won’t work out. Flick mentioned it to me.”
The goalkeeper also revealed what Flick asks of him in particular when he’s out on the pitch for Barca.
“Above all, he asks me to be alert to passes behind the defense. With the ball, he asks me to be confident, not to overcomplicate things, and to do my job so the team can play better,” he added.
“Ultimately, with such high-quality players, goalkeepers shouldn’t complicate things. It’s simply a matter of passing the ball to these players in the best possible conditions.”
Garcia has been out of action since September due to injury but is expected back after the international break against Athletic Club.
