Flick calls for a collective plan to shut down Mbappe in the Clasico

Stopping Kylian Mbappe is not a one man job. That seems to be the message Hansi Flick wants to drive home to his players ahead of Sunday's Clasico at Spotify Camp Nou, where Barcelona hosts a Real Madrid side led by Jose Mourinho with far more than three points on the line.

The Frenchman is in red hot form: 12 goals in 12 games this season, a number that alone explains why the Barca defense is studying him under a microscope ahead of Sunday. Flick was direct when asked how his team plans to contain him.

For us, the important thing is our positioning, with the ball and without the ball.Hansi Flick

The German coach stressed that it all comes down to collective discipline rather than a single marker. "Without the ball, it's about everyone being in the right position, being compact, this is important when you play with a high line. If we have all this, it's much easier for the back line to defend. This is what we have to do," he explained at Saturday's press conference.

A historic run on the line

The context adds extra spice to the matchup. Barcelona has won all nine of its La Liga matches so far this season, and if it makes it ten straight wins against its eternal rival, it would not only open up a nine point lead over Madrid, but also match a historic mark: the best league start in Spanish football history, a record that has belonged to Real Madrid itself since the 1968-69 season.

Barca's attack needs no introduction this season: 50 goals in 12 games is an absurd number. But the other side of the ledger is a bit more worrying. The team has conceded 15 goals, and in midweek suffered its first defeat of the campaign against Paris Saint-Germain, a match in which it let in four goals and showed defensive cracks, especially on set pieces.

That is exactly why Flick spent part of this week's work correcting that chapter. "We know Madrid's strengths on set pieces. We've analyzed it, they're among the best at this. Of course they have quality, physically strong players," the coach admitted, before making the priority clear: "We talked about this today and we also trained this today. It's about defending it much better than we did in Paris. That's what we did today."

Key absences in defense

The Clasico also arrives with Barca's infirmary seeing plenty of traffic. Flick will be without Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen, on top of the absence of midfielder Dani Olmo. Everything points to him repeating the same back four that started in Paris: Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin and Joao Cancelo.

Despite the absences, the coach did not hide his confidence in the young players holding together that back line. "For me, Cubarsi and Gerard are having a really good season. What they're doing is incredible. They're working together, talking together, growing together. I'm really happy about that," he said. He also had praise for Espart: "He did really well in the last few games. Right back, left back, it doesn't matter to him. He's an incredible player, but he also has room to improve, a lot of potential."

On the other side, Mourinho is not backing down. The Portuguese coach backed his team, insisting that "Madrid with Mourinho wins titles," making clear he is not coming into this Clasico to play it safe.

Flick, for his part, chose to put the match into perspective before getting into the football itself. "The Clasico is different. It's the best match. The whole world is watching this match. Millions of people, different cultures, different generations are connected by this match. It's incredible," he said. He closed with a line that sums up the moment: "It's just three points, but it's so much more. It's fantastic to be part of this. I think we're ready. I have confidence in my team. I have a good feeling."