‘Super vertical’… Alex Baena shares his honest verdict on Hansi Flick’s Barcelona

Despite the defeat they suffered at the hands of Monaco in their last appearance in the UEFA Champions League, there is no doubt that FC Barcelona are having a very good start to the 2024-25 season.

Flick’s appointment has marked a clear difference in how the team approaches its games, and the Blaugranes have already reaped the rewards of the German tactician’s methods with their 100% results in the league.

As Directo Gol has highlighted, the difference in the Barcelona team this season and last season was also recognized by one of the upcoming opponents of the Blaugranes, i.e., the Villarreal attacking midfielder Alex Baena.

Commenting on the team that he is going to face on Sunday, the Spaniard highlighted how Flick’s team is much more dangerous than the Barcelona of some previous seasons:

“This is not the Barça from a few years ago, which didn’t create as much. This team is super vertical. They press you at all times and don’t let you breathe.”

Baena’s words perfectly describe this new Barcelona, in which Flick has been able to incorporate his policy of playing very direct football when on the ball and pressing with very high intensity when off the ball.

The German tactician has already proven the efficacy of this style with Bayern Munich, with whom he won a sextuple back in the 2020/21 season. Hopefully, his methods will once again return such high dividends and help Barcelona return to their glorious position in Spain and Europe.

With 15 points out of a possible 15 in the first five league games, the start has been largely positive, but it remains to be seen how Flick’s Barcelona will turn out when they face the best and most demanding teams in Spain and Europe.