Many years ago, the concept of reserve players often referred to a group of players who were not used, were just a situational replacement and were not part of the team's overall development strategy. Recently, when the intensity of the matches is dense, the players' levels are more similar, those on the bench are no longer underestimated. In fact, they are important tactical cards that can bring victory. The main players sometimes only enter the field to wear down the opponent.
This is true of Barcelona under Hansi Flick. Since the German took over, he has built a culture of fairness for all players. For Flick, being in the starting lineup is less important than the final result. You can start but you will not be honored as much as the player who comes on as a substitute and scores.
Thanks to good ideological work, Flick has an even team, the players no longer compete with each other about being in the starting lineup or having to sit on the bench because almost everyone has the opportunity to show themselves.
Three regular substitutes in recent times but who have made very good contributions are Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres and Frenkie de Jong. Every time they come on, they make a big difference. The Blaugrana are unbeaten in their last 7 matches in all competitions since losing to Atletico Madrid on 22/12/2024. These include devastating victories such as 5-2 against Real Madrid, 5-1 against Real Betis and most recently 7-1 against Valencia.
Barca players are trained to think focused and on point. They don't need to come on the field right from the start, running around aimlessly. Once on the field, this group knows what needs to be done and strives to do it well.
A typical example is De Jong. He knows that the midfield trio currently belongs to Marc Casado, Pedri and Dani Olmo. The Dutch star is not discouraged by that and wants to continue to change his mindset to fit Flick's fast, strong and direct philosophy. With each match he comes off the bench, De Jong contributes more to Flick's new style of play, erasing the image of only being used to controlling the ball like under Xavi.
Meanwhile, for Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez, every minute on the pitch is now precious. Although Lopez did not score in the 7-1 win over Valencia, he is very happy to be back in his familiar attacking midfield position. As for Torres, the former Man City striker has scored 7 goals since the beginning of the season despite not having many minutes on the pitch. As long as Torres is fit, Flick will give him the opportunity to come off the bench in almost every match.
De Jong, Torres and Lopez all scored against Valencia, making Flick very happy. The German coach understands the current personnel arrangement very well, there is no psychological gap between the players who are starting and the rest sitting on the bench.
With the current approach, it can be said that Barcelona has stabilized the dressing room. What needs to be done now is to rotate personnel skillfully to compete in many arenas. First of all, La Liga, they need to win continuously to wait for Real Madrid to stumble. Otherwise, all the efforts and optimism now may disappear in the next few months.
