Remarkable statistic underlines defensive effectiveness of Flick’s Barcelona

Hansi Flick has made a terrific start to life as manager of Barcelona. The Catalans have won nine of their opening 11 matches across all competitions, and at the second international break of the season, they lead the way in La Liga – three points ahead of bitter rivals Real Madrid.

Barcelona have received many plaudits for their attacking style of play, but it’s also in defence that they have been very effective. They are conceding one goal per game on average, although it could have been more had it not been for their ability to catch teams offside on a regular basis.

Opta have published a remarkable statistic – it shows that Barcelona have caught their opponents offside on 62 occasions since the start of the season. Incredibly, Brighton are the next closest team in the Top 5 leagues, but they lag well behind on 31.

This aggressive style of play is certainly working for Barcelona, and supporters will hope that they can keep it up throughout the remainder of the season. With key players coming back from injury in the near future, it will make it easier.