Is this the end? Barça’s game plan discovered by opponents

Barca's incredible offside play – in which they shut down their opponents seven times per 90 – appears to have been fumbled.

Barca's strategy of catching opponents offside has fallen from an average of seven times per match to just 2.5 times in the last two games. Opponents take action.

Flick's Barça have endured a difficult period in LaLiga, with a draw against Balaídos on Saturday and a defeat against Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena before the international break.

A hallmark of Flick's Barça is their ability to catch opponents offside. Before the match against Real Sociedad, Barça averaged seven offsides per game, with a peak of twelve in their match against Real Madrid – the most in any match this season.

However, against Celta yesterday they only managed to catch the opponent offside twice. This allowed Celta to make 15 shots, 8 of which were on target. Celta regularly caught Barça on the counter-attack and eventually secured a point, despite some controversial refereeing decisions.

Worrying signs for Barça?

Flick's system is heavily dependent on the offside trap; if it doesn't work, opponents will have numerous scoring opportunities. On Saturday, Barça conceded seven shots on target in the second half, the most they have conceded in the second half since April 2017 against Real Madrid (8).

The loss to Real Sociedad was also disturbing. The Basque team won, fell into the offside trap only three times and scored fourteen shots, six of which were on target. Barça's success depends heavily on how often they catch their opponents offside. In their loss to Osasuna they did manage to impose their game, catching the opponent offside ten times.

If Madrid win their match (postponed due to the DANA storm), they will be just one point behind Flick's team in the LaLiga standings. Despite a strong start to the season, doubts are starting to arise. It seems unlikely that Flick and Barça will change their playing style, but opponents are starting to discover the 'trap' that brought them so much success early in the season. Lamine Yamal's absence has also been a major factor in these recent setbacks.