Right-back at Barcelona is no longer a fixed slot in the line-up. It has become an open space for experiments and surprises, after Hansi Flick called upon a group of players who don't naturally belong in the position. The scene reflects an exceptional situation at the Catalan club, and raises questions about who will own the role in the future.
Players from different generations have passed through right-back at Barcelona, from Eusebio, Goikoetxea and Celades through to Luis Enrique, Gabri and Sergi Roberto. What's happening now seems stranger still. This is no longer about rotating roles between players, but about trying out men who come from completely different positions.
According to the Spanish newspaper "AS", Flick has used four different players at right-back across the 15 official matches Barcelona have played this season. Eric García was the most frequent choice, filling the role in 7 games, ahead of 4 appearances for Jules Koundé, two for Xavi Espart and two more for Brian Fariñas, the most recent name to feature there.
Here's the paradox. Setting aside João Cancelo, a natural right-back who performs the role well, none of these four grew up in the position. Yet Flick found different solutions in each of them to meet the team's needs, to the point where right-back has turned into an open tactical laboratory inside the Catalan club.
Koundé and Eric: centre-backs on the flanks
Koundé's case is one of the most interesting. The French defender wasn't initially keen on playing as a right-back. His move to Barcelona was linked to a promise from Xavi Hernández to give him the chance to play in central defence, the position in which he previously shone with Sevilla.
Thomas Tuchel, then Chelsea's manager, wanted to sign him but saw him as a right-back, which didn't align with Koundé's ambitions at the time. His view shifted gradually over the years, until he came to admit that full-back might be the position best suited to his abilities.
Eric García, meanwhile, was used to moving between positions, but he grew up fundamentally as a centre-back, where he feels most comfortable. Even so, Flick turned him into his first choice on the right flank, having made clear at the end of last season that he saw him as an important option there.
Espart and Fariñas: surprises from the heart of midfield
Espart and Fariñas are different cases. Both carry a midfield background, which makes their appearance at right-back all the more striking.
Flick showed clear admiration for Espart from the start, a player held in high regard within the coaching staff. The German went so far as to compare him to Joshua Kimmich, the former Bayern Munich star.
Ball control and passing accuracy set Espart apart, along with a good view of the pitch and a sharp reading of space. His background as a midfielder lets him adapt to more than one role, and he has already shown signs that he could develop further in this position.
Fariñas, by contrast, turned up at right-back against Alavés as an unexpected surprise. The experiment worked strikingly well, and convinced Flick to repeat it in the Champions League clash with Aston Villa.
What stands out most is that the German didn't hesitate to use the player again, despite a shortage of natural full-backs and Baldé's availability on the left. That tells you how much confidence Fariñas earned after his first outing.
Who will settle the battle for the position?
Predicting who will secure the spot permanently has become difficult, though Eric García, Koundé, Espart and Fariñas currently look like Flick's most prominent options.
A more exciting scenario could overturn the calculations. Flick might exploit the sudden brilliance of the young full-backs to push Eric García and Koundé back into central defence, handing Barcelona extra solutions at the back.
For the players, regular involvement with the first team remains the priority. That's why they all appear ready to sacrifice their preferred positions, especially the young ones chasing any chance to prove themselves and book a permanent place in the coach's plans.
A legacy of experiments and an absence of stability
Oddity at right-back is nothing new for Barcelona. The club has struggled badly in the position since Dani Alves left, never finding a replacement able to provide the same continuity.
Recent years have brought experiments that failed to pay off, from the signing of Douglas through Aleix Vidal, Nélson Semedo and Sergiño Dest, all the way to Óscar Mingueza, who couldn't nail down the spot.
Barcelona have also leaned on unconventional solutions at various times, trusting players who got the job done despite the position not being their main specialty. Eusebio and Celades did it, and the experiment later extended to Luis Enrique, Gabri and Sergi Roberto.
The club now continues that tradition in a more varied way. Right-back has come to combine centre-backs, midfielders and young talents, in a line-up whose shape is hard to predict from one match to the next.
Caught between the absence of a specialist full-back and a glut of available solutions, right-back at Barcelona remains one of the strangest and most contentious positions in world football.