“I’m sorry”! Hansi Flick speaks “easy” English—Gavi’s word—and is understood by the players, managers, employees and those who have some official connection with FC Barcelona, as happened after the Barça team’s defeat at El Sadar. The coach apologized for the result to the surprise of the staff of the Barcelona expedition upon his return from Pamplona. The Barcelona fans lost the only League match played so far against Osasuna: 4-2. Flick assumed that last September 28 that perhaps he had gone too far with the rotations and Barça was no longer the undefeated team that aspired to equal the record of eight consecutive victories achieved with Tata Martino on the bench in the 2013-2014 season.
It was not the only negative score for the Blaugrana because they were also defeated in Monaco 2-1 at the start of the Champions League. A record that has its explanation for the expulsion of Eric García. Flick did not look for excuses then nor does he usually complain about adverse situations because his challenge is not unique records or comparisons with previous Barça coaches. The team, after all, has only lost two games out of a total of 14 – 11 in the League and three in the Champions League. The statistic expresses at the same time a fact that usually goes unnoticed and expresses very well the behavior of the Barcelona fans: they have not tied any game and have totaled up to 47 goals in the two competitions while waiting for the start of the Cup.
The draw is not negotiated nor is it an accepted starting result for Flick since the beginning of the preseason tour of the United States when the Blaugrana tied with Manchester City and Milan. The German coach encourages his players to attack tirelessly to try to score, to score the second goal after the first, and not to stop until the referee whistles the end of the match, in the same way that he gets angry when the team concedes a goal. which he considers avoidable, as happened against Sevilla. “I don’t like that they scored a goal against us,” he said after 5-1. “Let’s analyze it,” Flick stressed. The coach’s obsession is that the game has continuity as demonstrated on the last day at the Bernabéu after 0-4.
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The latest victories against Madrid, Bayern Munich and Sevilla have left the minimal initial victories against Valencia, Athletic and Rayo Vallecano, as well as the 1-0 against Getafe, forgotten. The team’s play and collective ambition favor big scores in both the League and the Champions League, waiting for the games with Espanyol, Red Star and Real Sociedad. “We cannot relax,” they agree in the Ciudad Deportiva, “because it would be counterproductive, since we are not even halfway there yet and the coach’s football idea does not allow breaks,” they insist in the Barcelona locker room. “It’s not about looking at the score and the result, but about playing focused on the opponent’s goal from the 1st minute to the 90th minute or, if necessary, the 100th minute.”
“Maybe it’s destiny,” Pedri responds in amazement when asked why Barça has not conceded a draw so far, while Raphinha is more explicit and even dramatic: “We go out to kill or be killed.” “If we score 10 goals, but concede 10, the game ends equal,” the captain stressed in the interview given yesterday to EL PAÍS. The pressure and the sense of risk, of the adventure with which each match is faced, prevents speculation and favors the arrival of opportunities, also in one’s own goal when the pressure is not adjusted and the shot is taken in a synchronized and concentrated manner. offside line, one of the resources of Flick’s method.
The coach’s professionalism, dedication and demand also contrasts with his proximity to the players and even with a certain sense of humor, a character already known from his time in the German national team and coach at Bayern. “Flick represents the joy of playing,” says Olivier Bierhoff, former sporting director of the German Federation. “The club acts like a family for him,” he continues, “and is committed to youth work. La Masia plays in Hansi’s favor. The last time I called him it was 6.30 in the morning and he was already at the training ground, and that shows how much he enjoys his job,” Bierhoff concludes in statements to Sport Bild. The German media agree that Flick is Barcelona’s best signing.
Some ironically maintain that in addition to being convincing, he is a more romantic coach than he seemed in Germany and remember that the team drew against Spain in the World Cup in Qatar (1-1). Flick surely subscribes to Low’s phrase that “any victory is better than a draw” and, therefore, the fact that it has not happened until now is also a coincidence, even though Barça football encourages vertigo, a plan that has rehabilitated a veteran striker like Lewandowski. At 36 years old, the striker has 17 goals: 14 in 11 League games and three in three Champions League games. The goal is for the team to be very dynamic, finish the plays and be effective to win and also to fill Montjuïc.
The Olympic Stadium recorded a record attendance against Bayern: 50,312 spectators. A very good start against Espanyol is also expected. The Barça fans feel especially identified with a team closely linked to La Masia and that has a coach who, without speaking Catalan or Spanish, communicates very well with “very easy English”, as the funny Gavi assures.
