The numbers behind Barcelona’s unbeaten centre-back pairing in La Liga this season
The numbers behind Barcelona’s unbeaten centre-back pairing in La Liga this season Inigo Martinez’s departure last summer left FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick with a situation in defence that was seemingly unsolvable. After all, the Spaniard was a regular starter alongside Pau Cubarsi last season, and there was no clear replacement. For long, the manager tried and tested a plethora of combinations, including utilising Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia in defence.
The backline, however, remained inconsistent and unreliable through it all. It was only the decision to field Gerard Martin as a centre-back alongside Cubarsi that first showed signs of stability, and much of the team’s positive run in La Liga now has to do with the same defensive tweak. A perfect pairing As reported by MARCA in a recent report, the combination of Cubarsi and Martin has been Barcelona’s best and most reliable pairing this season, and by quite some distance.
In fact, the team has never lost in La Liga with the Catalan duo at the back in what is an astonishing record this season. Martin has stepped up as Cubarsi’s partner after Inigo’s exit. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) It was only on November 22nd, during Barcelona’s first game back at the Spotify Camp Nou, that the manager started the duo together in central defence.
The result was a 4-0 win and a convincing statement with a clean sheet. Barring a couple of forced tactical adjustments, the manager has stuck with the Catalan central defensive pairing since that day, and the numbers speak volumes about their reliability. In the fifteen games that Cubarsi and Martin have started in central defence in La Liga this season, Barcelona have conceded just nine goals with an average of 0.
6 goals per game – a number that is surprising given the pessimism around the high line. Further, nine of the team’s fourteen clean sheets in La Liga have come with the Cubarsi-Martin duo in charge, making it clear why they are the team’s most consistent set.