COLUMN: Hansi Flick’s Double-Edged Sword and a New Philosophy for Barcelona?

January is nearing its end, Barcelona are third, and Athletic Club are knocking, nay hammering, on the door. While fans rejoiced over their outsized win over Real Madrid of the Spanish Supercup, a 1-1 draw against Getafe brought Cules back to reality. Hansi Flick’s team has only won one of their last five La Liga matches, provoking outrage on social media – albeit that isn’t so hard. Has, as the social media mob say, something has gone wrong? After all, this was the same side that looked unstoppable at the beginning of the season when Barcelona topped the table. 

Barcelona fans have always taken La Liga for granted. Under Ernesto Valverde and his predecessors, Barcelona dominated the championship. However, the opposite was true in the Champions League: most fans still remember the debacles in Rome and Anfield, and those memories continued to echo around the Catalan capital for several years. At the time, Cules believed the club needed to prioritise the Champions League, last won in 2015 under Luis Enrique.

Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona are performing well in the Champions League, currently sitting second in the group phase. The Blaugrana lost their first match against Monaco after a red card early on for Eric Garcia, but bounced back and remain unbeaten in the competition since then. However, this isn’t enough for Barcelona fans. Those who insisted the Champions League should be the priority still criticised Flick’s decision to rotate against Osasuna, leading to the team’s first La Liga defeat. The German coach explained at the time that the squad’s limited depth forced him to choose which competition to prioritise. 

Flick could do little wrong in the eyes of Barcelona fans until the intensity dropped in November, leaving the Catalans seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid today. In many ways, Barcelona haven’t accepted the trade-off proposed by Hansi Flick’s football. There will be goals, there will be attacking football, but variance will result in inconsistency. The German famously implemented a daredevil offside trap, ordering his team to press higher and higher up the pitch – a hallmark of the Gegenpressing philosophy native to Flick’s culture. Club president Joan Laporta brought the German in for this reason; it’s also why he was said to admire Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel as alternatives.

Everyone loves attacking football, but most fear the repercussions. Playing high up without an ideal squad means that counter-attacks become deadly. This is the difference between Barcelona winning 5-2 against Real Madrid and drawing 1-1 with Getafe. The difference lies in details, such as one player pressing too late (which has often happened with Alejandro Balde), triggering a chain reaction – in which space opens up all over the pitch. If Barcelona fans are to celebrate Flick’s ideas following bombastic victories over Real Madrid, it is dishonest to celebrate to claim that game plan doesn’t work during losses. The difference comes down to individual mistakes: performances can shift from mediocre to excellent, and this is often the only thing separating humiliation from elation. In the words of Jose Bordalas’ idol, Johan Cruyff: “I would prefer to win 5-4 than 1-0.” 

Accepting this risk is a cultural shock for most fans. They are accustomed to claiming tactical superiority throughout the season rather than the ups and downs of inconsistent performances. This makes Hansi Flick an anomaly tactically, even though he still finds ways to convince fans that he’s a genuine coach adhering to some of Cruyff’s principles, despite not being a disciple of Pep Guardiola. After so long, fans have finally gotten something different. Instead of rejecting it out of fear, it may be time for Barcelona fans to listen and embrace a new perspective on the football their club should be playing.