In modern football, defending is a job that concerns all 11 players on the pitch. However, the greatest weight inevitably falls on the man between the posts. Unfortunately, that’s precisely where Barcelona have struggled in recent years.
With the signing of Joan Garcia, the Catalans are finally taking steps to settle this long-standing issue. In this post, I discuss why Garcia has the potential to elevate the club to new heights.
1. Knows how to defend his zone
Playing for Espanyol, a gritty team accustomed to facing a barrage of crosses and aerial bombardment, Garcia is no stranger to chaos inside his box. He is well acquainted with the danger of set-pieces and proactively comes out to clear the danger.
In fact, he ranks in the 99th percentile of GKs in Europe when it comes to crosses claimed.
Conceding goals in such situations has been Barcelona’s kryptonite for many seasons, especially in the Champions League. Ter Stegen, for his all strengths on the ball, was weakest at claiming crosses.
While Espanyol’s defensive play style does not compel Garcia to come off his line frequently, the goalkeeper ranked 2nd in line exits, 3rd in possessions won, and 3rd in interceptions among La Liga goalkeepers this season. This proves he possesses traits of a classic sweeper-keeper, which Flick will be hoping to unearth, just as he did with Szczesny.
2. Led La Liga in nearly every category
Joan Garcia prevented 7.7 goals in La Liga last season based on the xG he faced, the biggest swing of any goalkeeper in the competition and the eighth biggest of any goalkeeper across Europe’s top five leagues.
On top of that, Garcia recorded more saves than any other goalkeeper in La Liga during the 2024/25 season, finishing the campaign with an impressive 73.71% save percentage.
It’s also worth noting that Garcia’s mental profile is as impressive as his shot-stopping ability. He made a total of 17 saves against Real Madrid last season and was MOTM in one of those games. He even won a MOTM award against Atletico Madrid.
3. A brave presence on the ball
While it is difficult to compare Garcia’s passing statistics with Szczesny and Pena due to the difference in receivers and style of play, Garcia possesses some vital traits that are transferable to Barça.
When the rival applies pressure on the keeper, goalkeepers from lower leagues instinctively tend to go long to their forwards. But Garcia has shown the ability to be patient, hold onto the ball, and play a pass inside to eliminate the first wave of pressure.
Against pressing teams like Rayo and Real Sociedad, he has shown very promising traits on the ball. After receiving the ball backward, instead of taking the easy option of lumping it forward, he waits for the opposing striker to step up and then expertly lures him in to find a low pass into midfield.
These kinds of passes will have to be made much more frequently at Barcelona and it is only natural that Garcia may make mistakes initially as he adapts. Still, the encouraging takeaway is that he is no stranger to such short passes and possesses a technical foundation that can be further developed.
His reading of central passing lanes is terrific, even if he attempted those passes sparingly due to Espanyol’s style.
4. Great ability to go long
Joan Garcia will primarily be tasked with breaking lines in the first phase of build-up. However, at Espanyol, his long passing understandably took center stage and that ability to go long could prove valuable on certain occasions.
Barcelona have often gone direct to utilize Lewandowski’s hold-up play. The Polish talisman is a huge asset in direct contests and Garcia’s precise balls could play a big role. Moreover, the 24-year-old primarily leans on his right foot to play passes and favors passes to the left flank.
His long passes to Alejandro Balde would be cheat codes against pressing triggers, allowing us to avail Balde’s bursts of pace.
After picking the ball up from corner situations or set pieces, Garcia is perfect at playing powerful 70-80 meter passes into the rival half to force a transition by himself, something Courtois is a master at. With transition monsters like Raphinha, Yamal, and Ferran, Barca could feast from such situations.
Although an overly vertical approach relying on repetitive long balls goes against Barcelona’s philosophy, it offers a good plan B, and Garcia is perfect to provide that safety net. It is also perfect against abnormally high-pressing teams like Bayern Munich, who did not give Barcelona any breathing room last season.
