Barcelona Vs Atlético Madrid [2-1] La Liga 2026/2027: How Did Hansi Flick Put Barcelona Back On Track? - Tactical Analysis

Barcelona earned a 2-1 victory over Atlético Madrid at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano this past weekend.

The three points from this La Liga gameweek 12 fixture put Barcelona on 33 points, securing their position at the top of the table.

A draw would have also kept them there, but with just a one-point lead over Real Madrid, who currently sit second on 30 points.

This makes the victory particularly important, especially with the international break approaching.

One moment that highlighted the significance of this result for Barcelona's title race was Hansi Flick's response to a question after the game.

When asked to rate the importance of the win on a scale of 1 to 10, Flick gave a direct answer: "10 out of 10."

This tactical analysis examines how Hansi Flick's side set up to achieve their win.

Atlético Madrid Vs Barcelona Lineups & Formations

Atlético Madrid Lineup Vs Barcelona

Diego Simeone started with a 4-4-2 formation, with Jan Oblak starting between the sticks.

Los Rojiblancos’ back four was Marc Pubill and Dávid Hancko at right and left centre-back, with Marcos Llorente and Alejandro Grimaldo playing as right and left full-backs.

Their two midfielders were Koke and Pablo Barrios, while Giuliano Simeone was Atlético Madrid’s right winger with Álex Baena on the left.

Julián Álvarez and Lee Kang-in played just ahead as two strikers.

The Argentine coach made four substitutions in the match.

Alexander Sørloth (60′) came on for Lee Kang-in, while Morten Hjulmand and Johnny Cardoso (72′) came on for Álex Baena and Koke.

Later, Jonathan David (78′) was introduced for Pablo Barrios.

Barcelona Lineup Vs Atlético Madrid

Hansi Flick lined up with a 4-2-3-1 formation that could sometimes become a 4-3-3 formation.

Joan García started in goal.

Their back four had Pau Cubarsí as a right centre-back, while Gerard Martín operated as the left centre-back, flanked by Brian Fariñas on the right and João Cancelo on the left as full-backs.

Marc Bernal and Pedri started as the two central midfielders, with Fermín López playing as the No. 10.

Lamine Yamal was Barcelona's right winger, with Anthony Gordon on the left wing, and Raphinha as the striker.

The German coach made four substitutions in the match.

Frenkie de Jong (46′) came on for Brian Fariñas, while Andreas Christensen (60′) came on for Cancelo.

Eric García and Gavi (74′) were introduced for Marc Bernal and Fermín López.

Lastly, Karim Adeyemi (86′) came on for Anthony Gordon.

How Did Barcelona Find The Free Player Vs Atlético Madrid High Press?

Barcelona build up with a 4-1-2 structure, with Bernal operating as the No. 6 behind Pedri and López.

On the left, Cancelo positions himself slightly higher than the right-back, Fariñas.

Atlético Madrid respond with a 4-4-2 pressing structure, aiming to maintain a compact defensive shape while preventing Barcelona from progressing with the ball.

As we can see here, the two centre-forwards are positioned against Barcelona’s centre-backs, while the left winger is responsible for the right-back.