Hans-Dieter Flick, the manager who has been giving Barca fans their worst nightmares in recent years, may soon become their saviour as he reportedly takes Spanish courses to coach in La Liga.
Here is what Barca may look like under the German if we consider his best managerial spell, the one at Bayern Munich.
Hansi would want his team to constantly press the opposition high and win the ball back as soon as possible. Flick is surely about control, with his Bayern side averaging 60.2 per cent possession in 2020/21, but not as much as Xavi, whose Barca average around 65 per cent in 2023/24.
Unlike at Quique Setien’s Barca (average possession of 74 per cent), there is no passing just for the sake of passing — Flick’s team would often attempt crosses and long balls from deep positions as the main idea is to generate a lot of chances and feed forwards with balls.
Flick’s favoured formation is 4-2-3-1. Barca are already well prepared to line up this way on a permanent basis: Xavi used this set-up at the beginning of the season when he fielded Oriol Romeu and Frenkie de Jong in the same line-up — it worked very well before the Dutchman got sidelined.
Undoubtedly, Flick excels at unlocking his team’s attacking potential. Flick’s Bayern scored a whopping 260 goals in just 86 games, only failing to score once. Robert Lewandowski felt particularly comfortable under Flick, finding the net 83 times in just 71 appearances.
Naturally, the downside of Flick’s aggressive tactics is defending. Hansi’s risky approach with a high defensive line often cost his Bayern team as they were hit in transition after losing possession in the build-up. This resulted in Flick’s side conceding slightly above a goal per game.
It’s interesting what roster Hansi would like to have at his disposal, given Barca’s delicate financial situation. First, let’s think about a potential eleven without any new signings.
LINE-UP 1
Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Kounde, Balde; De Jong, Gavi; Yamal, Gundogan, Pedri; Lewandowski.
Two attack-minded wing-backs (who would naturally make the team’s wing defending more vulnerable), tireless defence-minded midfield and a great attacking support for Robert Lewandowski — something that worked very well at Bayern.
LINE-UP 2
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, De Ligt, Balde; Kimmich, Thiago; Yamal, Gundogan, Pedri; Lewandowski.
If given the chance, Flick will probably want his defence and midfield to be strengthened. Matthijs de Ligt is still said to be dreaming of joining Barca and would replace one of the underperforming centre-backs; Joshua Kimmich would be Barca’s long-term solution for the defensive midfield; Thiago Alcantara is the one Flick actually called his ‘favourite player’ before Germany faced Spain at the 2022 World Cup.
It would be refreshing to see this Barca side in action.
❓ Would you like to see Hansi Flick coaching Barca next season?
Source: Tribuna.com
