The case for cautious optimism this season at Barcelona

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It’s not about how things start, but how they end

Winning is the best medicine for worried Barcelona supporters who spent the summer watching their great rival, who just won La Liga and the Champions League, get even stronger.

Just a few months ago, we saw the shocking sacking of Xavi at the end of season that left the club looking dysfunctional and without a clear direction for the future.

In came Hansi Flick.

On paper, this looked like the right move. But the decision was made three months too late. Now the highly-decorated German manager would arrive amidst drama and distractions.

But quietly he went about the business of the job.

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Getting to know the players, putting an emphasis on those coming through the academy. He spent time evaluating what was already there in house, and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t necessary to find solutions externally.

This was a saving grace for Joan Laporta and a club who are still struggling to balance the budgets.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid did what they are known to do. They went out across the globe and signed the biggest stars. Welcome Kylian Mbappe and Endrick.

But so far it’s Barcelona who’s gone four for four, while Real Madrid has dropped four points with two surprising draws.

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The question will be if this is a sign of things to come, or if it’s simply an adaptation period as Mbappe learns how to best integrate himself.

Barcelona, in the end, may be rewarded for making the best signing of all. Their coach.

For such a big club, I’ve always been surprised by the lack of emphasis they’ve placed on quality, and proven, coaching in the years since Pep Guardiola. In fact, this pattern precedes the legend.

Hansi Flick may not quite be a Guardiola or a Klopp, but he is a big-time serious hire for the job.

Barcelona went out and got the guy who humiliated them with Bayern Munich, sending the club into a tailspin.

And now he’s there, in charge, putting things back together.

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On that fateful 8-2 Champions League night, Flick exposed the club’s deeply rooted structural problems. Both in a financial and in a sporting sense. And now he’s laying the groundwork for, hopefully, long term lasting change.

Today, Barca fans are over the moon with excitement.

But this campaign will be long. And it will be different too.

Can this team perform consistently in La Liga, and with the new Champions League format, with eight games against eight different opponents in the group stage?

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Flick will have some big tests in the early goings.

That includes Girona domestically, who are on a two-game winning streak against Barca. A Monaco team who just won the Joan Gamper trophy. And tough challenges against German sides Bayern Munich and Dortmund. The most important date to circle will be, of course, October 27th when they travel to the Santiago Bernabéu.

Barca fans will have to challenge themselves too.

We can’t overreact to the first setback.

For all the promise we are seeing so far, this is still a young team. One that continues to struggle with injuries. And one that was also limited with what it could spend on new signings.

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Flick is being asked to win trophies with one hand tied behind his back.

So far, he is showing he can instill confidence and clear tactical instruction to his players. He is teaching them how to manage a game with an eye on winning above all else.

It makes me optimistic that they can exceed the expectations that we had for them just a few months ago.

But what, realistically, is the end goal?

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At Barcelona, it’s trophies. That’s always the case.

To get there will be a long journey. There will be ups and downs. But if they reach the mountain top, it will be because Flick has them approaching each day with calm and focus.

Keeping the drama and the distractions away.

Thinking only about football. And how they are going to win together.

Source: barcablaugranes.com