"The first half of the 2025/26 season has produced a recurring image in every FC Barcelona fan's mind: Lamine Yamal receiving the ball wide on the right touchline, with two, sometimes three, opposition shirts swarming onto him from all directions and closing the space around him. Rivals have started to believe the danger on the right flank lies there, and only there, for Hansi Flick's team."
"This is the context in which Joao Cancelo re-enters Barcelona's story. Not as a luxury, not even as an upgrade, but as a structural solution in certain games. This is not about replacing Jules Kounde. With the Portuguese full-back, the right side stops being a solo act. It becomes a duet. The limitations of Jules Kounde Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona have leaned into control. High possession shares, aggressive territorial dominance, and a tendency to keep opponents pinned deep come with their own share of problems."
Lamine Yamal is consistently crowded on the right flank, often facing two or three opponents, forcing Barcelona into predictable right-sided play. The teenager still has nine goals and eleven assists in 23 games, but the physical and tactical burden on him is evident as Barcelona repeatedly ask him to solve the same problem. Opponents send extra bodies to congest his area, betting Barcelona will fail to exploit the space left behind. Joao Cancelo offers a structural solution by turning the right side from a solo act into a duet rather than acting as a mere upgrade. Jules Kounde provides defensive stability but limited on-ball incision, which opponents exploit.
Read at Barca Universal
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