Lewandowski is too old, Ferran is not suitable, and after two consecutive defeats, Flick is considering placing Rashford in the number 9 position for Barcelona.

The 37-year-old Lewandowski has shown a significant decline in form this season, and Ferran Torres has proven incapable of playing as Barcelona’s main striker. Recently, Barcelona suffered two straight losses in various competitions: a 1-2 home defeat to a depleted Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, and a heavy 1-4 loss away to Sevilla in La Liga. In these two matches, Ferran and Lewandowski started as the number 9 respectively, but neither performed well. Ferran scored one goal against PSG, while Lewandowski was completely silent and even missed a penalty.

According to the latest reports from Spanish media outlet Mundo Deportivo, Flick is making tactical adjustments to address the issues exposed by Barcelona’s two consecutive defeats. After analysis, the coaching staff concluded that the team lacks intensity during matches and is physically outmatched. One key change Flick is considering is to have Rashford take over as Barcelona’s main striker to restore the team’s high-intensity pressing and physical confrontations up front. Lewandowski is no longer able to provide this, and Ferran’s finishing skills are insufficient. Flick’s preferred attacking setup for Barcelona isRashford leading the line, with Raphinha on the left wing, Yamal on the right, and Fermin playing as the attacking midfielder.Among them, Raphinha, Yamal, and Fermin are still recovering from injuries.

In my personal opinion, Barcelona’s two losses are partly due to a wave of injuries affecting the squad. Barcelona’s defense has always been weak, traditionally relying on attack to compensate for defense. Now, with the front line’s high pressing weakened, the defensive flaws have been severely exposed. However, it must be said that the striker position at Barcelona definitely needs reconsideration. Lewandowski’s form this season has been quite poor, and Ferran is simply not suited to be a starter at a top-five European league club; he can only serve as a substitute impact player. Perhaps this season, letting Rashford switch to the number 9 role, similar to Mbappé’s style, is Barcelona’s best option for the striker position. What do you think?

Flick doesn’t have much time left to test the new formation. After the international break in October, the third match will be the El Clásico, meaning Barcelona only has two games—the La Liga home match against Girona and the Champions League home game versus Olympiacos—to integrate the new lineup. In the Girona match, some injured players may still not be fully recovered, so the Olympiacos game will be a crucial opportunity for Rashford to play as the number 9. After that comes the El Clásico, which will heavily influence the La Liga title race.