Statistic confirms Barcelona offside trap issue against Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo

Barcelona scored just one point in their last two matches against Real Sociedad and Celta Vigo, losing the former 1-0 and squandering a two-goal lead in the space of five minutes at Balaidos. However, the Blaugrana struggled to impose their playing style, as the numbers show.

As reported by Diario AS, Barcelona averaged 7 offsides per game in their infamous offside trap, which has already attracted more than 100 goals this season and leads the top 5 European leagues by far. However, in their last two games that number has dropped to just 2.5 offsides. Against Celta, Barcelona also allowed 15 shots, 8 of which were on target, and La Real had 14 attempts on target, both beating the defensive line several times. The seven shots Blaugrana had in the second half are the most since 2017 against Real Madrid.

During their pre-match press conference before facing Brest, Hansi Flick and Inigo Martinez both doubled on the offside line, noting that the problem was not necessarily the line itself, but the pressure from up front. Flick also emphasized that his side had to learn to control the ball better, and not always be so direct or quick with their attacks.