Barcelona spent the summer assembling the exact profiles a false nine feeds off. What they have not decided is whether the false nine is Lamine Yamal.
Robert Lewandowski left as a free agent at the end of his contract and signed for Chicago Fire on a two-year deal, stripping Flick of a natural centre-forward. Into that vacancy came two wingers who can also lead the line: Anthony Gordon from Newcastle for an initial €70m, and Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund on a deal running until 2031. Both thrive on running into space rather than occupying it, the kind of runners a floating central creator makes room for.
At his pre-season press conference, Flick was asked whether Yamal could be the answer in the middle.
“Lamine has already played [there] in one of two games with us. I think he’s a fantastic player, a world-class player so he can also adapt to this.”
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The right wing, though, is still the plan.
“The focus is more as a seven [down the wing], but we’ll see what happens.”
Flick added that his final call depends on how the squad settles.
“Ultimately, it comes down to the final squad construction, so we have to be patient.”
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Guardiola’s 2009 blueprint, revisited
The reason the false-nine question keeps returning to Barcelona is one match. In May 2009, Pep Guardiola pulled Lionel Messi out of the right wing and dropped him into a central floating role at the Bernabéu. Real Madrid could not pick him up, and Barcelona won 6-2. That template has hung over every Barcelona attacker with vision and drift ever since, and it now shadows every debate about Yamal.
Yamal, who turned 19 in July, has already played the role twice for Flick. He started as a central false nine against CD Guadalajara and Real Betis in December 2025, dropping between the lines and dragging defenders out of shape.
Why the wing keeps winning
Flick’s caution is a question of geometry. Yamal’s most reliable weapon is the isolated one-on-one against a full-back on the right touchline, a duel that only exists if he starts wide. Move him inside and the pitch narrows around him.
Gordon scored 17 goals in all competitions for Newcastle last season, and Adeyemi has been clocked at 36.65 km/h, the fastest speed ever recorded in the Bundesliga. Both are built for the vertical runs a central Yamal would create. That gives Flick the option if he wants it. It does not force his hand.
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Barcelona open their La Liga title defence away at Elche on Sunday 23 August. Yamal, back with the squad after Spain’s 2026 World Cup triumph, is expected to start on the right.
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