The transfer market stumble is the reason: will Flick's emergency weapon solve Barcelona's worrying crisis?
A recurring striker crisis at Barça
Barcelona thrashed hosts Elche 5-0 this Sunday in the second round of the Spanish league.
The win lifted Barcelona up to fourth with 3 points from one match, while Sevilla top the table with 6 points from two matches.
Barça glowed in attack, none more so than Raphinha. He scored twice and set up another, topping the list of Barcelona's best players on the day, a list that also featured the outstanding Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon and others.
The striker crisis, an ongoing show at Barcelona
Barcelona's German coach Hansi Flick had plenty of options in attack last season, leaning on the pair of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres at centre-forward.
Both left in the current summer transfer window. Barcelona tried to sign a new striker, but things did not go as Barça had planned.
Atletico Madrid refused to sell the Argentine Julian Alvarez, and it seems the deal will not go through. The Rojiblancos are holding firm on keeping the player, or selling him to a club outside Spain.
Alvarez had been a main target to strengthen their attack, but the stalling deal pushed Barça to look elsewhere. That search led to attempts to sign the other Argentine, Lautaro Martinez, the Inter Milan striker.
No decisive steps followed in that deal. Barcelona simply enquired about the player's situation and how possible a signing would be during the current summer transfer window.
Given Barça's financial situation, and with Atletico Madrid holding firm on Julian Alvarez, it seems Barcelona will complete the season, or at least last until the next winter transfer window, without signing a centre-forward of great experience.
The false nine: Flick's quick fix
Barcelona entered today's match with a squad that included the Egyptian Hamza Abdelkarim, but Flick chose not to bring him on despite relying on him during the preparation period, and despite his good showing.
Experience won out. Flick turned to his seasoned players, even if that cost him a shuffle of positions, as happened with Raphinha and Karim Adeyemi.
The Brazilian Raphinha started in the false nine role despite being adept on the left side, which was occupied by Karim Adeyemi, essentially a right winger.
Lamine Yamal took the right, and behind this trio sat Fermin Lopez, who put in a very distinguished performance.
You can discuss the topics and news in more depth in the "Kooora" forums Flick's plan came off. Raphinha, out of position, was the first star of the match with his runs from deep and his distinguished passes to his team-mates.
He won a penalty and buried it, added another goal, and set up Karim Adeyemi, who took his chance as he should have.
Yamal out of service, and Gordon glows
Lamine Yamal's dip against Elche was clear to everyone. The young winger offered little before making way in the 65th minute for the new arrival Anthony Gordon.
Gordon seized the moment. On his first official appearance he stole the spotlight, teeing up the third goal for Raphinha and the fourth for Fermin Lopez, who also scored the fifth from an assist by Xavi Espart.
Barcelona's attack between last season and this one
Flick leaned on an out-and-out centre-forward last season, planting Lewandowski or Torres in areas close to goal, then working the ball to the striker with help from the wingers.
Today told a different story. Flick reached for the false nine, which sharply increased the speed of Barcelona's attack and diversified the sources of danger.
The false nine relies on the man in that role dropping back to receive the ball. That pulls defenders away from the danger zones even if only a little, and it hands others, such as the wingers, the chance to burst inside and exploit the empty spaces. That is exactly what happened for the second goal scored by Karim Adeyemi.
The false nine: a real solution or a temporary success?
Barcelona were superb today, especially in a second half that brought 3 goals with more on offer. Even so, Flick's new approach cannot be judged yet.
Raphinha shone in the false nine role, others glowed too, especially Anthony Gordon and Fermin Lopez, and the danger came from all angles. Yet the opponent's capabilities do not compare with Barça in the first place.
On paper, Barcelona were strongly fancied to take the win, even in their first match of the new La Liga season.
You can discuss the topics and news in more depth in the "Kooora" forums Elche finished 15th last season in La Liga, managing only 10 wins in 38 rounds, and they opened the current campaign with a 1-1 draw against Deportivo La Coruna, back in La Liga after a long absence.
The coming matches will tell. Only then can Flick's new experiment be judged, and only then will we see whether Barça suffer from the absence of a centre-forward of great experience capable of settling matches and filling the void left by Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, or whether the false nine proves a successful solution this season.
