FC Barcelona has played its second preseason match, this time against Seoul in South Korea. Hansi Flick has made some changes compared to the first match, intending to try different things and give opportunities to other players. Despite the convincing 3-7 victory, he hasn't been completely satisfied, especially due to the weak defensive performance.
1 unexpected player criticized against Seoul
He started, just like in the first preseason match, but once again one of his mistakes led to a goal against. Specifically, we're talking about Pau Cubarsí, an undisputed starter for Hansi Flick, but who hasn't started as desired. He is weak in challenges and so far has made some decisions that have hurt Barça in both matches played.
In Kobe, a poor ball clearance by Cubarsí resulted in a goal for the opponent. In Seoul, a poorly executed offside line by the Catalan defender ended in another goal... this time for Seoul.
Hansi Flick isn't angry at all, but he believes Pau Cubarsí hasn't started these friendlies at his level. "I need more," could be heard in the locker room tunnels after the match in South Korea. No one has a guaranteed spot, especially not a center-back, a position where competition is fierce and several footballers are fighting for a place in the starting eleven.
Big win over Seoul
Despite conceding and practically gifting two goals, the truth is that Barça was far superior to Seoul. There wasn't any problem overcoming the South Koreans, with the scoreboard ending in a convincing 3-7 win for the blaugranas.
Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres both scored a brace, with one of them being a truly spectacular goal. Lewandowski showed his killer instinct. Meanwhile, Christensen also managed to score with a powerful shot from outside the box, and Gavi found the net as well.
So far, the balance of the Asia tour has been positive, with only one match left. 2 matches, 2 victories with many goals scored. But the defensive aspect needs to improve, as too many goals have been conceded against lower-level teams due to defensive mistakes.
Hansi Flick is taking it easy, there's time ahead to fix those mistakes, but he wants things to get better. Pau Cubarsí, among others, knows this firsthand...