How Flick has revived Rashford’s career at Barcelona

When Barcelona made a summer loan deal with Marcus Rashford, they were backing themselves to resurrect a player who was one of the best in the world.

The gamble appears to have paid off so far. In the first few weeks of his season-long loan at Manchester United, the 27-year-old has scored five goals and contributed six assists.

At the end of the campaign, Barca, who are two points behind Real Madrid, have the option of making the signing permanent, and Rashford seems interested in that happening.

A distinction must be made between roles and positions when analyzing players. Rashford’s position appears to be left-wing, but that does not completely explain the situation.

Rashford made his first appearance for Manchester United in the middle of a winger and a striker, scoring 30 goals and adding 12 assists.

Rashford can float between playing wide left and moving centrally because Flick has tapped into this.

Rashford has become more close to the goal, which has made it easier for him to take more shots from dangerous positions while utilizing his world-class ball-striking prowess.

Rashford rotating inside helps to bring together Barca’s attacking play because Flick likes his attacking players to cluster together centrally.

This season, it has been a common pattern for Barca for him to enter the left half-space and be found by a midfielder with his back to goal.

However, Rashford’s transition prevented the team from becoming unbalanced.

The full-back marking him typically moves infield when he moves centrally. The left-back can enter this wide-left space by allowing the flank to be left open.

With their left-side personnel combining in this way, Barca’s typical left-back Alejandro Balde demonstrated his strong ability to get up and down the flank and make good crosses.

Rashford can play penetrating through-balls for the left-back thanks to this off-the-ball movement from the full-back, which allows him to enter dangerous spaces in space.

Teams are centrally wary of Rashford’s threat, which can expose the flank as they overcommit to defending the middle of the pitch.

Gerard Martin, Balde and Barca’s other left-back, frequently found themselves in risky crossing positions as a result.

Rashford is one on one with a defender because of how frequently their runs, which alternate, draw players away from him.

Although tactics, roles, and formations all matter, footballers’ performances naturally have a human component.

If Rashford had not already scored in the game, he might have excelled against Newcastle because he is confident when he is confident.

However, overall, he seems to have gained confidence, and Flick’s decision to start him in his current six matches, primarily in the same position, is likely to have helped.

He will now have found his rhythm, and his delivery has impressed enough to allow him to be trusted in Barca’s corners.

Former Manchester United players who have moved to excel appear to be following a trend.

Some people think this is because the Premier League is football’s most competitive league, but it could also be because new teams and coaches are maximizing a player’s potential while minimizing their weaknesses.

A footballer’s quality is rarely compromised by injuries, age, or off-the-field issues despite a bad run of form.