For any player or coach to establish themselves, there is perhaps no better challenge than FC Barcelona. While the club continues to have its own great sporting aspirations, they are now met with limitations that they did not know in the past. Consequently, the Barcelona job itself has become more demanding than ever before.
The best evidence for this would be the constant changing of head coaches itself. Following the departure of Ernesto Valverde in 2020, four coaches have arrived between now and then. Quique Setien came in first, who was then replaced by Ronald Koeman, and the next coach after Koeman was Xavi Hernandez himself and even he was excused in the summer of this year.
Yet, despite that difficulty and the external pressure that will undoubtedly come if results and expectations are not met, German coach Hansi Flick decided to take up the club’s offer this summer. While there was definitely some initial skepticism, the former Bayern Munich coach has made an incredible mark at Barcelona already.
His team’s performances have been so positive, in fact, that he has been selected as one of the three nominees for the La Liga ‘Coach of the Month’ award for August 2024, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo. The final voting will depend on the fans and there is a good chance that he ends up winning the award.
In the month of August, Flick’s team managed to win four out of four games that were played in La Liga. First came their 2-1 victory over Valencia at the Mestalla, then another 2-1 victory against Athletic Club at the Montjuic Stadium, followed by yet another 2-1 win against Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas, and most recently the 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid at home.
In terms of the team’s goal difference, Barcelona has scored 13 goals across the four games they have played so far, which is the highest figure for any team in La Liga right now. They have also conceded only thrice this season so far, a rather low figure considering the injuries that the team has and the offensive style of football that they play now.
To challenge Flick for the award, however, are Villarreal’s Marcelino Garcia and Alaves’s Luis Garcia Plaza. Thus far, Villarreal has two wins and two draws in La Liga, while Alaves has managed to win twice, draw once, and lose once as well. For their own standards and objectives, both coaches are surely to give Flick at least some level of competition for the award.
