Who will call offside?

That Hansi Flick has accepted Iñigo Martínez's departure without a single public complaint just one week before the start of the La Liga season clearly demonstrates that the German coach is, above all, a club man. Anyone else in his position would be hurling reproaches from the rooftops for the loss of such an essential element as Ondarrés in the manager's approach. At thirty-four, he had become a leader on and off the field, where he made himself heard, especially among the youngsters.

Cubarsí's progress would not be understood without the complicity he had acquired through the experience of playing alongside Iñigo.

For Flick, it's a crushing blow to let go of one of the players who gave meaning to Barça 's way of interpreting the game. From his clean ball-producing, long diagonal runs, thanks to the advantage of being the only left-footed center back in the squad. But above all, for the fact that he was the one in charge of organizing the offside line, the Blaugrana's greatest tactical hallmark last season. A risky strategy that required execution with the Basque's great precision. It's true that the excessive number of goals conceded was last season's Achilles' heel and prevented them from winning the Champions League . Of the 156 goals scored in the sixty-three matches played, 58 were conceded, of which the seven against Inter were particularly painful.

This is a factor that needs to be addressed, and the former Athletic Club player 's departure will do very little to contribute to it. Therefore, despite the usual denials, don't rule out some additions to Flick's extensive roster of center-backs: Cubarsí, Araújo, Christensen, Eric Garcia, Koundé, and Gerard Martín.

If we take Gamper as a reference, the Araújo-Cubarsí pairing would be the ones with the advantage to start in the League opener in Mallorca and with Pau, despite being right-footed, occupying the left flank of Martínez, from whom he inherited the legendary number 5 worn by other great central defenders in the history of Barça such as Biosca, Gallego, Migueli or Puyol.