Football Manager 26 Hansi Flick’s Barcelona Tactics
Let us leave the tactical analysis of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona tactics for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 season and instead take a closer look at how to recreate the tactic(s) in Football Manager 26. Since I have written fairly extensively above Barcelona’s style of play under Hansi Flick and their tactical shapes, I’ll hereby provide a brief overview of the tactical instructions to choose from in FM26 to mimic Flick’s Barcelona.
Let us examine what team instructions, player roles and in and out of possession shapes I have favoured in order to recreate Flick’s Barça tactics in FM26.
Style of Play
Barcelona’s style of play under Hansi Flick saw the team moving away from the slow ball circulation we have witnessed under Pep Guardiola. With an aggressive high line that aims to win the ball higher up the pitch combined with vertical, high-tempo football, Flick’s Barca incorporates a tactical philosophy which resembles both the Vertical Tiki-Taka and the Counter-Pressing ideology in Football Manager.
Combining high pressing with more direct transitions, Barcelona used direct progression and high turnovers to come to goalscoring opportunities once the opposition was unbalanced. This aimed to take advantage of the pace and creativity of the wide forwards – trying to get the best out of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
When creating this tactic in FM26, I have used the Vertical Tiki-Taka tactical style as a framework, whilst focusing on the out of possession and attacking transition team instructions of the Gegenpress philosophy.
Mentality
Flick’s Barcelona tactic is a tailored system revolving around high risk and high reward. The urgency to get the ball forward combined with the quick-short passing style at the back makes me think an Attacking Match Mentality is best suited to recreate their tactical philosophy.
As a side who thrives on risky passes, playing with both a high defensive line, greater width and verticality in attack to break open the opponent’s defensive block, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona is a highly fluid attacking team.
His attacking attitude is often visible in Flick’s positional structures – often asking players to spread far apart to make the pitch as large as possible when the team is in possession of the ball – using the entire width of the pitch – rather than constantly trying to attack through the middle.
In Football Manager, providing width can be done by player instructions and using specific player roles but the mentality you use will provide the foundation of how wide your tactical shape will be.
At the same time, the Attacking Mentality provides the player’s the necessary Creative Freedom to advance the ball, and helps to intitate the high press we want.
However, be aware that Barcelona didn’t always play an Attacking game. Depending on the opposition and how they wanted to nullify threats, it might be recommended to lower the match mentality to Positive – ensuring the player’s doesn’t take unneccesarry risk going forward.
Using the Positive mentality could be a great starting point for most teams – unless you are a clear favorite to win your league.
PS! One option you have in your tactical toolbox is to start off the games on Positive and shift to Attacking Mentality later on in the game, as the match unfolds. You should always keep in mind their extreme possession stats whilst approaching game by game – perhaps altering the Mentality, Creative Freedom, Time Wasting or Defensive Line, eventhough the starting mentality will influence all these aspects.
DISCLAIMER!
Rather than chasing high goals per games and trophies, my interpreation of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona tactics aims to replicate their style of play, positional structures, shapes and movements in possession of the ball, as close to real life as possible.
This means that this tactic is far from a plug-and-play tactic. Instead, I encourage you to use this tactic just like a real manager would do – changing and modifying the system and mentality according to how you interpret the game and analyze strengths and weaknesses within the next opposition.
Flick’s Barça Tactics: Formation & Shape
My interpretation of Hansi Flick’s Barcelona tactics is probably a bit more unorthodox than you would imagine. I have decided to release two versions of the tactics, one 4-3-3 system and one assymetric 3-3-3-1 IP formation, which resembles their 3-2-5 shape in attacking shape.
Along with these two in possession tactics of Barcelona under Hansi Flick, there are three out of possession shapes recommended to switch between, all depending on the opponent’s shape. You can use either the 4-3-3 out of possession shape, use a more modern 4-4-2 formation to press high or use a more basic 4-2-3-1 formation.
As mentioned above, Hansi Flick tends to switch between using either a 4-3-3 formation or a 4-2-3-1 system. So far this season, Flick has used the 4-3-3 only in 8 matches, but the synergy of the movements and use of player roles will ensure the 4-2-3-1 tactic looks like a 4-3-3 in regards to the movements of the double pivot and the central attacking midfielder.
In Football Manager 26, we got in and out of possession formations that enables us to better recreate his tactics through one system. At least, coming far closer to the positional structures and shapes Barcelona used in real life by carefully selecting in and out of possession player roles for each position.
What’s evident in this Barcelona side is the huge variaty of roles a player can perform within one match, which makes it slightly more difficult to recreate Barca’s exact tactics in Football Manager 26.
Take Jules Kounde for instance. From behaving like a Wide Centre Back or Inside Full-Back in the deep build-up, the player acts more like a Full-Back with his underlapping runs in settled attacks. In other situations, he moves inside into the DM position at times – all depending on the movement of the DM. Finally, Kounde also tended to behave fairly similar to the Wing-Back on the other side – getting forward when the opportunity arises – most oftenly when Yamal cuts inside.
In the matter of Pedri, you could argue he plays like a Deep-Lying Playmaker in the progression phase but unlike the role in FM26 which will hold position, he roams around the centre of the pitch, finding pocket of spaces without making forward runs into the AMC position. You could argue that his role is a merge between the Box-to-Box Playmaker, the DLP and the Advanced Playmaker – moving from deeper positions to find pocket of spaces between the lines, in the left half space. Unfortunately, we can’t instruct any other players in the DM-strata to roam than the Box-to-Box Midfielder, which has forced me to choose the Midfield Playmaker in CM-strata.
Similarly, Eric Garcia seems to be playing like a merge between a Half-Back and Defensive Midfielder in some games – moving in between the Centre-Back to aid switches of play and ensure the team got numerical superiority in the deep build-up against a high pressing side, but also find pocket of spaces in the centre – aiding the team to advance the ball by being on the receiving end of a one-two after sprinting ahead of his marker.
Then, in other situations he anchors and holds position in front of the centre back – providing an extra layer of defence between the lines. You might argue, isn’t this basically what we could expect from the DLP? You are 100% correct, especially if we consider Frankie de Jong’s likeliness to make 1.6 key passes per game as well as having 73.1 average passes per game. To mimic his behaviour, I recommend you to switch between DM, DLP and HB depending on the opposition’s shape – focusing how you can create numerical superiority in the deep build-up.
Replication of Flick’s 4-2-3-1 Barcelona Tactic in football Manager 26
Player Roles & Instructions
Goalkeeper
GK: Ball-Playing Goalkeeper (IP), Sweeper Keeper (OOP)
PI: Pass Shorter
Koundé Role
To mimic how Jules Koundé tends to inverts to create a nominal back three, I have gone with the Inside Full-Back role when the team is in possession of the ball. His wide position enables the team to create a 3+2 in the build-up alongside aiding the team to switch the point of the attack by moving the ball wide.
DR: Inside Full-Back (IP), Pressing Full-Back (OOP)
PI: Sit Narrower, Make More Forward Runs
The Centre-Back Pair
DCR: Ball-Playing Defender (IP), Covering Centre-Back (OOP)
PI:
DCL: Centre-Back (IP/OOP)
PI: Stay Wider
Balde Role
To mimic Balde’s role, I have been more conservative by selecting the Wing-Back role in DM-strata, although you may argue that he plays like an Advanced Wing-Back with hish high and wide positioning. However, if you select the AWB, the player will be rather disconnected on the flank when building out from the back – staying too high in this phase of the game, which Balde rarely did. Instead, I would recommend you to switch between WB and AWB in games if you want to score more goals.
DL: Wing-Back (IP), Pressing Full-Back (OOP)
PI: Stay Wider, Pass Shorter, Cross from Byline
The Double Pivot
DM: Defensive Midfielder (IP/OOP)
PI: Shorter Passing
MC: Midfield Playmaker (IP), Wide Central Midfielder (OOP)
PI: Make Fewer Forward Runs
Attacking Midfielder
When I first started recreating Flick’s tactics in FM26, I started out by using the Attacking Midfielder in CM position. The intention was that he would try to pull his opposing marker away from the centre whilst also providing late deep third man runs into the area. Rather than creating another 4-3-3 tactic, I decided to go for the AM in AMC strata. Asked to roam from position, the idea is that he will drop deep to find pocket of spaces and thereby attack through the channels.
AM: Attacking Midfielder (IP), Central Midfielder (OOP)
PI: Moves Into Channels, Pass Shorter, Make More Forward Runs, Roam from Position
Raphinha Role
Raphinha often starts wide in the build-up but inverts his runs into the channels, or drifts centrally, as if he played like an Attacking Midfielder. In my tactics, it’s been a difficult choice between going for the Inside Forward who sits narrower, or choose the Shadow Striker who is capable of moving into the channels. What I’ve prioritized is his positioning in the left half space over his tendency to roam across the centre of the pitch, and thereafter run beyond the defensive line by accelerating into space.
To fully mimic Barcelona’s 2024-25 tactics, and how Raphinha operated as a second forward, you could switch to Shadow Striker for some games. If you do, please remember to select Moves Into Channels and Roam From Position.
AMR: Inside Forward (IP), Winger (OOP)
PI: Sit Narrower
Lamine Yamal Role
Yamal’s role is to stretch the pitch and pinning the opposing LB as high and wide as possible. This is done to both separate the fullback from the centre-backs by stretching their shape and enable more underlapping runs of the Attacking Midfielder.
AML: Winger (IP/OOP)
PI: Stay Wider, Dribble More, Cut Inside With Ball, Take More Risks, Cross From Deep
Central Forward
STC: Deep-Lying Forward (IP), Centre Forward (OOP)
PI: Pass Shorter
Secondary Tactics: The 4-3-3 & Box Midfield 24/25
The 4-3-3 System
The 4-2-3-1 Box Midfield – 2024-25 Season: 3-2-5 Shape
Tactics Visualier – 3-2-5 In Progression Shape
Visualiser of the default hybrid 4-2-3-1 tactic in progression
Visualiser of the box midfield 2024-25 tactic in progression
Visualiser of the 4-3-3 tactic in progression
Team Instructions – Flick-Ball!
In Possession
To mimic Barcelona’s style of play under the 2024/25 season, and 2025/26 season, we need to instruct our players to use Fairly Short Passes. You don’t want their passing game to be too short, nor too direct. With the Attacking mentality applied, you will discover the centre backs naturally playing short passing football whilst the players further forward making more penetrating passes.
I’ve selected Higher Tempo to encourage more quick combination play and one-two’s – moving the ball with great precision from defensive third to final third. The tempo of play must be edited if you see to hasty play and the team isn’t capable of controlling the game.
What you do not want to use in this vertical Tiki-Taka tactic is to reduce the tempo of play and creative freedom by selecting Work Ball Into Box. Quite a few shots comes from outside the penalty box, so keeping the Patience at Standard is what I think fits best to replicate Barca’s style of play.
A narrower width is selected to fasciliate better Counter-Pressing.
Supporting Runs is set to Underlaps for Both Flanks – aiming to fasciliate more progressing through the lines and third man runs from the AMC and AML.
All in all, the in possession instructions are selected to give all the players attacking freedom – moving the ball decisively around the park to come to goalscoring opportunities. The players will play passes to feet when that’s suited, play a more direct game in the attacking transition if there is an opportunity, or make through balls into space if a player spots a chance.
The result is an attacking side who combines short passing football with more vertical attacks through quick tempo and penetrating runs. The tactic produces some wonderful attacking football at times with five players attacking each of the channels and a rest defence of 3+2.
Out of Possession
To mimic Hansi Flick’s aggressive high line, I have published the tactic with a Much Higher defensive line. This enables the team to squeeze play high up the pitch but is risky. I would advice you to monitor the defensive line from game to game – switching to a Standard or Higher against quicker forwards within the next opposition.
Performance
Download Football Manager 26 Hansi Flick’s Barcelona Tactics
Emulate Hansi Flick’s fascinating attacking football on Football Manager 26. Get the brand new Hansi Flick Barca tactics by Passion4FM. Choose between the default hybrid 4-2-3-1 tactic that transforms to 3-2-5 shape in possession, the box midfield tactic used in 2024-25 season, or the vertical Tiki-Taka 4-3-3 possession tactic. Hunt for trophies by playing Flick-ball in FM26!
Released: 08.03.2026
Version: 1
File size: 6.13 Kb
Created by Passion4FM
