Big shake-up in Barcelona after two defeats: Flick's risky gamble against Alavés

BARCELONA — After two consecutive defeats, Barcelona are set to face Deportivo Alavés at home in La Liga Round 11, and head coach Hansi Flick has taken a step that has stirred Spanish football. According to reports in the Catalan media, following the 2-1 Clásico defeat to Real Madrid and the loss to Paris Saint-Germain, Flick is preparing a sweeping change to his preferred XI — with more than nine players set to be replaced. This is not routine rotation but a high-risk experiment in which the entire foundation of the defence changes and some of the team's most important players appear in unusual positions. The most striking element of the report is that Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong is being deployed at centre-back. This will be De Jong's first start of the season — the last time he was in the starting XI was on 22 February. That means he returns after a gap of roughly eight months, and his comeback match is directly in the most responsible position in defence. In truth, the centre-back role is not entirely unfamiliar to De Jong. He has played there before under Koeman at Barcelona and at Ajax. His on-ball qualities — dropping deep to receive, breaking the first line and carrying the ball into midfield — are pre-trained. But the off-ball defensive requirements are entirely different: defending a high line in open space, winning aerial duels and handling fast La Liga forwards in one-on-one situations are not De Jong's core expertise. The result is a move that simultaneously raises Barcelona's progression ceiling and their risk of conceding. The defensive changes do not stop with De Jong. On the right, young Brian Farinas is being handed his debut. Farinas comes from Barcelona's famed La Masia academy, and Flick had already trialled him at right-back in pre-season, indicating this is not a panic decision but part of a pre-planned development pathway. The timing, however, is highly sensitive — giving a youngster his debut in a must-win home match after two defeats is a major bet. On the left, the presence of João Cancelo makes the defence asymmetric. Cancelo is regarded as an attack-minded full-back — three of the four defenders either lack first-team minutes or are not in their natural defensive roles. The opponent's coaching staff will naturally target the channel between Farinas and De Jong, especially if Alavés adopt a high-pressing, transition-heavy approach. As for the midfield, the line is technically strong but structurally unbalanced. Fermín López, Pedri and a player referred to in the report as 'Rodri' form a midfield without a specialist defensive pivot. The most likely consequence is that Pedri will have to operate as the deepest midfielder, converting his best asset — receiving between the lines and circulating the ball in the final third — into a defensive burden. Against a transition-oriented opponent, this could prove to be the biggest weakness of the entire XI. Interestingly, for a lower-mid-table side like Alavés, playing away against a rotated Barcelona is something of a 'free hit' — they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is precisely the opponent profile that proves most dangerous when three of four defenders are not in their natural roles. For Barcelona, by contrast, the pressure is asymmetric — beating Alavés will be treated as a routine restoration of the baseline, while a draw or defeat will be seen as a major crisis. The Catalan newspaper Sport has described the change as a 'complete overhaul', an implicit admission that the previous plan failed. From a financial and club-management perspective, this XI is a financial statement in itself. Under La Liga's salary cap and registration rules, Barcelona have limited room to buy in the market. In such circumstances, giving academy players opportunities and using already-contracted players like De Jong in new roles is a zero-marginal-cost solution. Four players in this XI — Cubarsí, Fermín, Yamal and Farinas — come from the academy, showing that for the club, academy output is the only scalable, liquidity-free depth mechanism. Given squad-registration constraints, bringing in defensive cover in the winter window may be difficult — perhaps that is exactly why a midfielder has to play centre-back in November. De Jong's contract is a parallel story. His deal is reported to be in its final year, and renewal talks have been a recurring theme. If the situation remains unresolved, the club risks losing an asset for free in the next window. Playing him at centre-back is therefore a double-edged sword — a strong performance would strengthen his negotiating position, while a poor one would weaken both his market value and the club's bargaining position. Overall, Flick's selection is a 'risk-transfer' strategy. By changing the XI heavily after two defeats, he shifts the explanation for any poor result from 'the team is not performing' to 'the squad lacks depth and we rotated'. It is a defensive but common managerial move — but it only works if the result is positive. If Barcelona beat Alavés, the bold decision will be praised and the crisis talk will subside. But if the team stumbles, the rotation story will turn into a crisis and the local press will begin questioning the coach's position. On paper, this home fixture against a lower-tier side looks like the easiest possible landing spot, but in reality it is one of the most sensitive moments of Flick's tenure.