Barcelona’s defence faces new challenge without Inigo Martinez
Iñigo Martínez left Barcelona for Al-Nassr despite being one of the Catalans’ most consistent performers last season.
Barcelona’s defence prompted just about as much discussion as their attack last season. This was despite the Catalans’ forward line being the most potent in Spanish football. Hansi Flick’s team scored an incredible 102 goals in 38 league games last term, yet anyone who watched Barca surely had their eye drawn to what was happening at the back.
Defensively, Barcelona walked a tightrope last season. The high line is a well-established feature of modern football, but Flick took the concept to a new extreme, positioning Barca on the halfway line regardless of where the opposition had possession. It became a common meme to screenshot Barcelona’s wild defensive positioning.
It was only due to the strong partnership of Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez that Barca were able to make this work. They were Flick’s first-choice centre back pairing. Cubarsí’s mobility coupled with Martínez’s natural reading of the game and solid defensive basics gave Barcelona the safety net they required.
Now, though, Martínez is gone. The 34-year-old completed a surprise move to Al-Nassr last weekend, joining the Saudi Pro League outfit as a free agent on a one-year contract. Martínez reportedly had a gentleman’s agreement with Barcelona that allowed him to leave if an offer from Saudi Arabia came in this summer, which it did.
In what has been a lowkey summer by Barcelona’s recent standards, the Catalan club now has a problem to solve. Who will replace Martínez in the backline with the start of the 2025/26 LaLiga season just a few days away? Will Barca’s risky defensive structure hold together now that the 34-year-old has departed?
This could be Ronald Araújo’s chance to make up for lost time. Not so long ago the Uruguayan was seen as Barcelona’s next great centre back – their new Gerard Piqué or Carles Puyol. However, a series of injuries knocked Araújo from his stride. He became increasingly error-prone as Xavi Hernández shifted him from centre back to right back.
Araújo’s stock dropped so low that it was even speculated that he could be sold. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United were all linked at one time or another, but the Uruguayan stayed at Barcelona to fight for his place. With Martínez now out of the picture, this is a fight he might end up winning.
Flick favoured Araújo and Cubarsí as his starting centre backs in Sunday’s 5-0 demolition of Como in the traditional Joan Gamper Trophy. While Como offered so little attacking threat it was difficult to make a solid judgement on the Barcelona defence, there was enough to suggest Araújo and Cubarsí could compliment each other in the same way Cubarsí and Martínez did.
However, Araújo is right-footed. So too is Cubarsí which means one of the two will have to play on the ‘wrong side.’ Martínez, by contrast, was left-footed which gave Barca natural balance at the back, in and out of possession – Martínez was one of the most prolific line-breaking passers in LaLiga last season.
Martínez was also Barcelona’s best long passer last season, averaging 4.9 long balls per 90 minutes in 28 LaLiga appearances. This allowed the Catalans to mix things up. Sometimes they would build gradually out of the back and into the midfield where Pedri would progress play into the final third.
Other times Martínez would launch it forward to get the likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal running at goal. It was this variety that made Barcelona so difficult to play against. If opponents stood off, Barca would play through them. If they pressed high, the Catalans would turn them quickly. Martinez was key to this.
The financial upside of Martínez’s departure is that Barcelona have removed €14 from their wage bill which will help them register new signings Joan García and Marcus Rashford for the start of the season. The Catalan club is still counting the cost of years of gross mismanagement with the redevelopment of the Camp Nou also causing financial strain.
Barcelona currently have to balance what is best for the team on the pitch with what makes sense for the club off it and Martínez’s exit is the latest sign of this. Flick’s life will be harder without the 34-year-old still around, but this is the job the German coach signed up for when he became Barca manager last year.
Last season was a momentous one for Barcelona as they surged to the Spanish title playing a brand of exciting, attack-minded football. This season, fans will expect further progress towards a more rounded approach that can also deliver success in the Champions League. Doing that without Martínez, however, will be a challenge.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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