Flick vs. Alonso First Edition: All About Advantages | OneFootball

Hansi Flick had Real Madrid’s number last season, winning all four El Clásico matches. Those losses, coupled with a lack of a Champions League trophy that season, were part of why Carlo Ancelotti is no longer the manager on the Real Madrid sideline. His replacement, Xabi Alonso, is much closer to a Rafa Benitez or Pep Guardiola disciple than Ancelotti.

The two managerial giants have lost a combined three matches so far this season, but not without criticism. The way they answer that criticism in El Clásico could go a long way to how the La Liga season plays out in Spain.

It’s often been that Barcelona is defined by its system and style while Los Blancos is defined by its stars and results. That’s a reductive way to explain the differences between the two approaches, but there is some truth to it under the current managers.

Flick’s System

Hansi Flick does have Lamine Yamal to dazzle fans with individual brilliance, but the Catalans go only as far as their squad’s commitment to the manager’s system. The front three must press, the midfielders must control and dictate play, and the defenders must be on the same page if the high line is to succeed. Regardless of who is on the field, players must be bought into working towards those collective goals or the entire team will suffer. This explains why the loss of players with attributes that thrive in the system are felt so greatly.

Without Joan Garcia, Barça has been struggling to play the ball safely against opposition pressure, especially since teams have figured out that man-marking both Pedri and Frenkie de Jong is the right move. Without Raphinha and Fermín Lopez (before he came back), Flick’s side clearly struggled to put the opposition under pressure. Missing Alejandro Balde and his ability to both dribble a man and play a pass, Barcelona struggled to break the first line of pressure themselves. Without Lamine Yamal, teams didn’t have to overload their left side with bodies to contain with the teenager, making chances harder to come by. As for Pedri, and to a certain degree de Jong, Culers can only shiver at an extended time without them.

Yet even when missing vital pieces of the puzzle, Flick has been committed to his system and asked back-ups and rotation players to do their best impressions of the wounded.

Alonso’s Stars

Real Madrid, in contrast, is explicitly about getting the most out of the shiny toys that Florentino Perez gifted to Madridistas. Coming off a stint with Bayer Leverkusen that included a well-earned Bundesliga title, Xabi Alonso looks poised to combine the pragmatic approach of managing stars with his infectious ability to get players to buy in to his own ideas. So far, he has had mixed results in terms of on-field product but positive results on the scoreboard after 90 minutes.

Kylian Mbappé is flying high and Alonso is getting the best out of the French star, albeit at the expense of some of his other attacking options. Arda Güler is playing a much greater role under Alonso than he did Ancelotti, serving as the connecting force that the Madrid midfield needed. Dean Huijsen, the newest toy at the back, is finally the elite passer that the back line needed to stay composed when opponents press. Thibaut Courtois can still win a game as one of the best shot-stoppers in history.

However, for the highs of that quartet, few others in the Madrid XI can say they are having career seasons. The midfield still looks like it needs to replace Toni Kroos and his ability to control a match, not to mention Luka Modrić and his experience. Jude Bellingham hasn’t been entirely fit; Vinicius Jr. hasn’t been entirely on-target. Injuries amongst the defenders have also prevented the continuity required to keep clean sheets.

Advantages?

Real Madrid is expected to have Dean Huijsen back while Barcelona will still be without Raphinha. Those two players don’t decide El Clásico alone, but it will help Alonso play his way as opposed to Flick. The German also won’t be on the sideline because of his red card against Girona.

But Barcelona does appear to have the better idea of how to attack Real, especially as both teams haven’t changed all that much since last season. What’s more, Atlético Madrid gave Barça the gameplan when they dismantled their capital city rivals. When the full-backs step infield, take advantage of the space behind them. That’s a bit oversimplified, but it works pretty well. Marcus Rashford will likely be the key to this, and what a moment it would be for him.

On the flip side, PSG and Sevilla both gave the lesson on how to attack Barcelona. Press them. Make them work out of their own half. Again, it’s oversimplified, but Alonso has the blueprint.

Of course, it is El Clásico… and things don’t always go as manager’s plan.