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Flick and the great expectations of managing Barca 

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports
Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

The German manager has a big challenge on his hands in year two as the Blaugrana boss

It’s been a quiet summer in Barcelona, in spite of the noisy gossip that circulates in the Catalan media with excited anticipation of the new season on the horizon.

Watching the Club World Cup, you’re reminded, however, that as good as Barcelona is at the moment, there will always be fierce competition to stay at the top.

PSG look like monsters. After winning the Champions League, and being favorites to take the title this summer too, they are the gold standard at the moment for footballing excellence.

Paris Saint-Germain v Inter Miami CF: Round Of 16 - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

Real Madrid is now Xabi Alonso’s team, and Flick will have a new puzzle to solve in determining how to keep his Clasico winning streak going.

I think the consensus at the moment is that less is more for Barcelona.

They were great before, having accomplished so much with very little given to the new coach. His ideas were the x-factor, so in Flick we trust. Don’t try to fix what’s working.

But it’s also hard to ignore that as good as Barcelona were, there were also serious vulnerabilities that will need addressing if they want to repeat as Spanish champions, and make another deep run in the Champions League.

FC Internazionale Milano v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Semi Final Second Leg Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images

These improvements won’t come from making a big signing, although the addition of Nico Williams would be huge in my opinion to provide depth and lineup flexibility.

Most likely, Flick is going to take the same approach in his second summer in Catalonia. We are, without a doubt, going to see new faces coming through the academy to fill out the ranks on the first team.

Winning trophies again, however, I think will require Flick to come up with new ideas tactically. That doesn’t mean they have to be big changes, but rather alternative ways of approaching certain opponents, and also in specific moments to manage games for a result.

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

One big difference between PSG and Barcelona was that the Parisians kept getting better as the season went along. In fact, they started quite slow. Barcelona, on the other hand, were off to the races, then got stuck in the mud, and then finished the season with grit, in spite of the fact that they weren’t able to dominate games as much because the tactics simply weren’t as effective.

My concern is that, perhaps, in year two, Barcelona could be a bit found out. Opponents know who they are now, and can come up with game plans to exploit their weaknesses. Their identity, after all, is very predictable.

If the same system works for Flick, then the players will have to be even better at executing it. Just like, for years, tiki taka got better and better to the point where Barcelona became truly unstoppable.

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona - La Liga EA Sports Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

But maybe that’s asking too much.

What would be better is for Barcelona to become a more mature team. One who can get results by adapting their game to the conditions on the field.

Their plan A was spectacular when it worked, which was most of the time. But next season, what they really need to figure out, is an effective plan B strategy.

Flick has been excellent at communicating and instilling his ideas in his players.

The only limit to how far this team can go is his own imagination. He doesn’t have to reinvent the wheel, but he will need to build on the foundation he’s developed, to make the next version of Barcelona more agile and able to adapt when their backs are against the wall.



Source: barcablaugranes.com

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