Barcelona’s revival: Aided by Flick’s pragmatism, the may of La Masia and a sprinkle of luck

German pragmatism and self-discipline. FC Barcelona’s conventional, expressive honest. On paper, there shouldn’t be a sync between the 2. A minimum of, not as a lot because it has.

When Hansi Flick was named as Xavi Hernandez’s successor, even essentially the most optimistic of followers wouldn’t have imagined the staff to be as explosive and entertaining because it has. Barcelona has scored 116 objectives throughout all competitions this season to this point (as of February 23, 2025), six greater than the 110 objectives it managed in 2023-24.

In reality, the final time the Catalan membership scored extra objectives (125 in 2020-21), Lionel Messi was working rampant in Europe.

It’s streak this season? Unbelievable. The underlying numbers? Scrumptious.

Maximising potential

Flick gained seven titles, together with two Bundesligas and a Champions League, in his two seasons at Bayern Munich. Whereas he had all the correct credentials and seemed like a very good wager for Barcelona, he had additionally walked right into a chaotic membership that completed a distant second to Actual Madrid in 2023-24.

When the previous German nationwide staff head coach landed in Spain, he inherited a membership that was pinching pennies. The Blaugrana did its greatest all summer season to recruit Nico Williams earlier than it had to surrender on account of its lack of ability to fulfill the monetary calls for of the switch.

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And when it did handle to signal a participant, Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig, what adopted was a protracted, tiring saga to register him. On the similar time, arch rival Actual Madrid, mockingly, was sprucing the newest jewel in its Galacticos 2.0 crown – Kylian Mbappe.

With assets missing, Flick turned to the one choices he had: benefiting from the gamers at his disposal and dipping into La Masia to unearth the following generational star. Or two.

Whereas many 1,000,000 have been wanted to signal Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha, the remainder of the star solid all have the ‘Barca DNA’ in them. All of them got here by means of the membership’s famed youth system that has again and again produced among the most technically gifted gamers on the planet.

Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Alejandro Balde, Lamine Yamal, Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez, Gavi and Hector Fort. A bunch that has 4 youngsters, with the oldest being the 22-year-old Pedri.

Mix that youthful power and explosive model, and also you get a staff that may run all night time lengthy and run up a cricket rating.

Flick’s go-to formation has been the 4-2-3-1, which modifications to 4-3-3 in line with how the competition unfolds. A compact midfield, relentless urgent, and utilizing the width. They’ve all been hallmarks of the newest chapter within the membership’s wonderful historical past.

Through the years, and particularly since Pep Guardiola’s time on the helm, Barca has loved protecting the ball and dictating the tempo of matches, and it continues to take action. It has the very best common ball possession (67.44%) within the league, with solely Actual Madrid (61.29%) wherever near it.

Cubarsi and Inigo Martínez within the defence together with Pedri and Casado within the double pivot have given the staff a stable base to construct their ways round. Brief, slick passes (568 per recreation, solely behind Actual Madrid’s 574) are most popular over lengthy, raking, cross-field pings, of which there have been solely 41 per recreation – the fewest within the league.

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This season, Barcelona has performed essentially the most key passes (313), has essentially the most touches within the opponent’s field (817), has the very best shot conversion ratio (1.62%), created essentially the most large possibilities (115), and racked up essentially the most xG (61.5).

Flick has additionally carried out effectively to enhance the seasoned gamers in his squad. With fluid vast attackers round him and the liberty to search out areas between the strains, Lewandowski has additionally discovered a brand new lease of life. The 36-year-old, who scored 42 objectives in 69 league matches earlier than Flick’s arrival, now has 20 after 24 matches.

The Pole isn’t the one participant who has seen his kind enhance. Raphinha, who was on the chopping block all summer season, has 24 objectives and 16 assists from 37 matches. For comparability, Vinicius Junior registered 25 objectives and 12 assists in 2023-24, which he and Actual Madrid deemed Ballon d’Or worthy, a lot in order that they collectively threw a hissy match when he was overwhelmed to the crown by Manchester Metropolis’s Rodri.

Flip again the clock to the primary week of November and there was an air of invincibility round FC Barcelona. In any case, it had ended the earlier month with two spectacular back-to-back wins. The primary was the 4-1 victory in opposition to the mighty Bayern Munich within the UEFA Champions League. The Catalans then adopted it with a 4-0 education of Actual Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu, which felt like a seminal second within the membership’s run beneath Flick.

And simply when it seemed like the nice occasions have been about to roll once more, they didn’t…

Going off the rails

Regardless of the nice run, the German coach was fast to mood expectations.

“A staff’s kind fluctuates rather a lot over a protracted season. The vital factor is to deal with profitable the following match. The vital factor is how we end the season. Lets say that our objective is to be within the prime eight,” he mentioned in early November, virtually prophetically.

After the Champions League win in opposition to Crvena Zvezda within the first week of November, Barca’s league marketing campaign nosedived. By the top of December, it misplaced 4 occasions and drew twice in six league outings – a run that ended with a 2-1 defeat at house to title rival Atletico.

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The 1-1 draw with Getafe after the Christmas break meant Barcelona was on its joint-worst league run in its historical past: six factors from eight video games.

From main the league by six factors after matchday 12, Barcelona discovered itself eight factors behind Actual Madrid and 6 behind Atletico when the mud settled on the 18th spherical of fixtures.

It’s the form of kind that usually derails campaigns, will get heads rolling, and brings discuss of a ‘a lot wanted’ squad overhaul. Nevertheless, by means of all of it, Flick stored religion — in himself and his gamers. He was the anchor that stored Barcelona’s ship regular in uneven waters.

Publish-Christmas cheer

Regardless of struggling within the league, Barcelona continued to do effectively in different competitions, together with the Champions League. Nevertheless, the staff had additionally been coping with lots of accidents, each to key gamers and a few of its most promising kids.

The Christmas break got here on the proper time, because it not solely gave Flick and the gamers to hit the reset button but additionally allowed the injured gamers to start out making a comeback. This gave the German extra choices off the bench, and he hasn’t been shy to make use of them.

Earlier than November, Flick made substitutions at or earlier than halftime solely thrice, and twice it was due to accidents (Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ferran Torres). The opposite was a tactical change that noticed Lopez changed by Frenkie De Jong earlier than the beginning of the second half in opposition to Actual Madrid, a transfer that resulted in certainly one of Barca’s greatest wins this season.

MADRID, SPAIN – OCTOBER 26: Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his staff’s first objective through the LaLiga match between Actual Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. (Photograph by Angel Martinez/Getty Photos)
| Photograph Credit score:
Angel Martinez

Now, with the infirmary empty, Flick has been extra ruthless in making modifications, modifications which have virtually all the time made a distinction. Working example the match in opposition to Sevilla on February 9, when Lopez changed Gavi and ended up scoring together with his first contact in a 4-1 win.

After the Christmas break, Barca gained 16 factors from a potential 18. Fortuitously, Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid started to drop factors, seven and 9 respectively, in the identical interval.

Simply earlier than Christmas, on December 21, Barca, which was as soon as the runaway chief, misplaced the highest spot within the desk following the defeat to Atletico Madrid. 58 days later, after a 1-0 win in opposition to Rayo Vallecano, it regained management of the title race.

When the shape dropped on the finish of 2024, Barca continued to do what it does greatest: dominate possession, maintain the passes ticking, and create possibilities. Nevertheless, it misplaced its defensive stability whereas additionally discovering it exhausting to search out the again of the online on the different finish. It was like a home social gathering the place the host received so obsessive about the decor and ambiance that he/she forgot to bounce and have a very good time.

Now, Flick’s staff is again to its environment friendly greatest whereas persevering with to entertain. Will it run away with the title? Perhaps not. Must you wager in opposition to it? Provided that silly.