Well, Barcelona have hired a NEW COACH!
Barça fans, please welcome his majesty - HANS-DIETER FLICK!
This is the guy who inflicted one of the most painful defeats on your favorite club - yeah, yeah, we're talking about that 8-2 defeat...
But now it's time to make WONDERS at the renovated Camp Nou!
The contract is valid for 2 years, which means that the Blaugrana will undergo a major transformation throughout these two seasons!
Today, Vamosito is going to tell you about all the CHANGES that the decorated coach will bring to his new club! Here we go!
Change of tactical formation
Barcelona are famous all over the world for their signature 4-3-3, a formation that has been rooted in the Catalan capital since the days of Johan Cruyff, Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, coaches under whom Barça triumphed in the Champions League.
Xavi also used this setup, although he did come up with positions such as the false winger.
Flick's arrival will mark a departure from the classics.
You see, the newly arrived coach's favorite tactical model has always been the 4-2-3-1 shape, which is the one used by the national team of Spain, thus many of the current Barca roster representatives are already familiar with it.
By the way, the transition to this particular setup was also initiated by Ronald Koeman back in the 2020/21 and 21/22 seasons, but as soon as Messi left the club, the Dutchman's entire game concept collapsed.
Right now, the Catalans are fully adapted to the play style with no Messi around, making things a little easier for Flick.
'This system, which propelled Bayern Munich to a historic treble, offers a more balanced approach, with a focus on both defensive solidity and attacking threat,' experts note.
First and foremost, the change in formation is supposed to improve the balance of the midfield. As a matter of fact, this is what Xavi was doing, especially when moving Christensen to the position of central defensive midfielder. Flick intends to establish a consistent play in this area, considering it to be the backbone of the team's balance - we will see a double pivot system, where a technical performer (Gündogan, Pedri, Frenkie) will play alongside a “destroyer” (Gavi, Christensen, Casado, or potential signings: Kimmich or Amadou Onana).
As a result, the “ten” position will be given more importance - Pedri and Fermin (or even Gündogan), who have the makings of midfielders with a goal-scoring sense, could show their worth here.
Among other things, the said changes could also have a positive impact on Robert Lewandowski, one of Hansi Klick's favorite strikers, who will become a target man for the entire team - a role the Pole enjoys!
Back to Luis Enrique's days
Basically, the arrival of Hansi Flick will mean the Blaugrana's return to the days of Luis Enrique, when MSN ruled the world.
Back then, the Spanish coach quickly realized that the team's greatest strength lied in its attack, with the main task of the goalkeeper, defense and midfield being to get the ball to the Messi-Suarez-Neymar front three as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, there are no attacking players of their caliber, but the club will at least work on bolstering the left winger position.
Hansi Flick's playing style is based on a quick transition from the defense to the attacking phase - high pressing in the opponent's half of the pitch, a quick transition to attack and a more direct style of play: Barça will have to forget about the days of Xavi, days, when the primary focus was on positional game with elements of tiki-taka and fragmentary pressing.
Again, Flick always strives to take the most of the ball possession as well as the quick transition from defense to attack, which has been the key to success in all teams led by the German coach.
On top of that, the change of this aspect could prove to be very helpful when facing clubs who fancy high pressing, clubs such as Real Madrid. Instead of getting stuck in the midfield, the team will be oriented at moving faster behind the opponents' backs, so we can expect more medium and long passes. This style of football really suits Robert Lewandowski, who has a great hold on the ball and is able to involve wingers in the attack as fast as possible.
Increased intensity
The intensity of training sessions at Barcelona has always been the club's Achilles' heel. This problem was especially noticeable after Luis Enrique's departure - under Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setienne and Ronald Koeman, the intensity standards dropped to a record low, resulting in permanent losses at crucial moments: 3-0 against AS Roma in Rome, 4-1 at Anfield, 2-8 against Bayern, and not advancing past the UCL group stage under Koeman.
The situation has significantly improved since Xavi's arrival, but during the coach's third season at the club, the intensity slightly decreased again, which did not suit some footballers and the Spanish giants' officials.
27 май 2024
