Álvaro Benito, the former Real Madrid player and current analyst at the "Cadena SER" radio station, has criticised Hansi Flick's defensive approach at Barcelona. He argues that pushing the defensive line too high hands the big teams repeated chances to reach the Catalan side's goal, a flaw laid bare in the 2-1 Clásico defeat to Real Madrid at the "Spotify Camp Nou" stadium.
Benito admires Flick as a coach, according to Spanish newspaper "Sport", but he warned of the risks baked into that style against opponents with the quality and speed to exploit the spaces behind the defence.
The Spanish analyst said: "I said years ago that I love Flick as a coach, but Barcelona, against good teams who produce their usual level, will find themselves in five or five situations facing their goalkeeper."
High-level teams punish those gaps, he added, insisting the German coach still takes too many risks in certain tactical aspects.
The secret behind Barcelona's struggle against tarial
Despite the criticism, Benito praised Barcelona's attacking style. He confirmed that the team plays enjoyable football and can outperform most opponents thanks to its high speed and relentless pressing, particularly against sides who lack the tools to punish an advanced defence.
The Real Madrid match told a different story. In his view, it exposed the danger of the approach whenever Barcelona come up against players capable of exploiting the spaces, such as Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham.
Real Madrid had four or five chances their players should have handled better in the final pass and the attacking decision, he explained, reckoning the Royal side could have inflicted far greater damage on their opponent.
Praise for Mourinho's defensive plan
Benito also praised the collective discipline Real Madrid showed under José Mourinho, confirming that the team's success did not start in attack but with defensive commitment.
He said: "Everyone ran, and they had a defensive plan in which no one broke the rules." Good defensive organisation, he explained, gave Real Madrid the ability to win the ball back and disrupt Barcelona, then unleash their players in attack.
At the Camp Nou, he added, the Royal side found an effective way to compete with Barcelona. The win, in his view, is an important launching point for the season, proof that the players can execute a clear plan and stick to it.