First impressions
This plan paints a very modern, fluid frontline — exactly what you’d expect from a coach like Flick who values movement, speed, and positional interchange. Nico Williams on the left and Lamine Yamal on the right would stretch defenses and keep them pinned back, creating a ton of width. That’s promising, especially given how direct and unpredictable those two are.
Raphinha centrally & Olmo as a false 9
Slotting Raphinha into a central playmaker role is bold but could work. He can drop between the lines and has the creative vision to link play. Dani Olmo as a false 9 would add another wrinkle — drawing center-backs out of position and allowing Nico and Lamine to exploit those spaces. Together they’d create overloads and dynamic rotations in the final third.
The Lewandowski situation
This setup implies a tactical shift away from traditional center-forward play, so Lewandowski’s role shrinking due to age and style makes sense. Flick often favors quicker, more mobile forwards — think back to his Bayern days — so a gradual phasing-out of a classic No. 9 like Lewy fits his philosophy. That said, it’s a significant call given Lewandowski’s goalscoring record and influence in the dressing room.
Main takeaway
If Flick successfully integrates this plan, Barça could look extremely dynamic and hard to predict, with positional fluidity and a very youthful core up front. But this will require buy-in from the senior players — especially Lewandowski — and careful management to avoid losing his leadership too abruptly.
