Even before Hansi Flick arrived at FC Barcelona, there was a lot of excitement about the changes he might bring. The German coach is renowned for his high-intensity football and the success it achieved with Bayern Munich. However, given that Barcelona already has possession-based traditions, Flick’s arrival did raise some eyebrows.
Yet, if his initial weeks at the club are anything to go by, Barça should be really excited for next season. The German technician has increased the quantity and intensity of the team’s training sessions and, despite still not having many first-team players, he put subsidiary and academy players to great use against a side like Manchester City.
Some players, such as Pau Victor and Pablo Torre, were visibly effective in Flick’s game plan for the Premier League champions. However, this is simply the beginning of what Flick demands from his players and he has a lot more that he wants his squad to implement when they play.
Specifically, according to SPORT, Flick wants more intensity and much more fearlessness when his team is defending. This includes not just the initial press from the forwards but the utility of the entire team on the pitch as a unit rather than as some disjointed kind of press.
In the last game against Manchester City, this kind of press was seen being put to use. Throughout the match, it forced the Citizens into some uncomfortable positions and the vertical nature of this press also gave Barcelona some great opportunities to capitalize on.
The profiles that Flick currently has in his team may not be perfect for this style of play, but he made them work. Moreover, when certain players like Ronald Araujo or Gavi return, the Barcelona coach will have even more strong candidates to test out given their affinities towards more physical styles of play.
However, the Barça head coach still believes that improvements can come. For the German coach, the team still sits too deep and he would like to change that: “We defend too deep. It’s not what I like most. We have to improve it.”
It must still be acknowledged, however, that this high-intensity style of play has its own vulnerabilities as well. Any and all mistakes are often very problematic for the team to then defend against, as one dangerous counterattack could lead to Barcelona conceding an unfortunate goal. Despite that, it seems that Flick still wants to take this physical approach and improve Barça’s ability to implement it.
