Game after game, Hansi Flick’s FC Barcelona continues to prove that their form is not a fluke or anything of the sort. Instead, La Blaugrana continue marching on in a dominant fashion and with a clear mentality and game plan. Fortunately for Barcelona, Hansi Flick’s tactical preparations continue to pay off.
Initially, many suspected that La Blaugrana would struggle once they faced bigger European contenders as the season progressed. Those challenges ultimately came in the form of back-to-back games against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid—a week that many believed would break this Barcelona team.
In reality, however, it would end up doing the exact opposite. After beating Bayern Munich with a 4-1 demolition at the Montjuic Stadium in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona ended up thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu of all places.
Now, as highlighted by MARCA, the reality and true nature of this Barcelona team can no longer be denied by the masses. In many ways, it is a team that excites like no other, both in terms of results and the high-quality gameplay that is put on display.
Five specific details and aspects of this Barça team highlight exactly how Hansi Flick has revived a team that seemed to be struggling over the past several years.
1: Immense goalscoring
The last time Barcelona scored as many goals in the first eleven games of the La Liga season was back in the 1950 season. However, to do this in modern football is an immense achievement and Hansi Flick’s team never backs down from wanting to score even more, an aspect of the team that the German coach has managed to lock down perfectly.
2: The special offside traps
Against Real Madrid, Barcelona were able to frustrate Los Blancos and the likes of Kylian Mbappe through the use of the offside trap, and the high defensive line that shows no sign of safety anywhere in plain sight is exactly the kind of idea that Hansi Flick would love to stick with.
3: Belief in the youth
It has already been established that Hansi Flick’s reliance on La Masia is one of the key elements of his new-look Barcelona team. Many players have managed to make their debut and more aspiring talents continue to gradually make their way to the first team.
4: Mentality
Arguably the biggest change at FC Barcelona has been their mentality so far this season. No longer willing to just sit idle as any opponent goes through La Blaugrana easily, this new team has the confidence of champions and they have shown themselves to be capable of handling the kind of pressure that El Clasico and a game against Bayern Munich would naturally bring with it.
5: The revived attacking duo
At a point in time, both Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski were struggling to make a lasting impact at Barcelona, but things have now completely changed under Hansi Flick. Both forwards are scoring for fun, with Lewandowski reaping the rewards of finally playing as a center-forward, while Raphinha continues to mess around with opposition structures thanks to his free-roam role on the pitch.