Hansi Flick talks Barcelona, Thiago, Lewandowski, Cubarsi, Yamal, Guardiola, Real Madrid | OneFootball

It has been close to a week since Hansi Flick officially oversaw his first training session at Barcelona. The new manager put the players through rigorous work from the get-go, amping up the intensity of work.

After all, the German tactician seriously prioritises physical fitness and is determined to reverse the club’s misfortune with injuries. Looking ahead to next week, he has once again scheduled hectic sessions ahead of the team’s travel to the USA.

The new coach has not struggled in adapting to his new club, and one of the main reasons for his seamless transition is the addition of Thiago Alcantara to his team.

The midfield legend is serving as the perfect lingual intermediary between the players and the management, playing a very important role in the dressing room.

Speaking to the media recently, Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick revealed that he had, in fact, been in constant contact with Thiago Alcantara for a long time, offering him a place in his coaching staff.

“We spoke a lot when he was at Liverpool. When he decided to put an end to his career, I asked him if he wanted to join my staff.”

“When he arrived you can see that Thiago is very loved,” he added on how the former midfielder was received by the players.

The manager also elaborated on how he felt working in Catalonia and the overall mood behind the scenes.

“Another thing I love is the atmosphere I have seen since I arrived here. The people are kind and loving. We also want to be part of this culture.”

On his ideology and discpline

Speaking on the importance of discipline in the team and how he was strict on the same, Flick said,

“Discipline is absolutely necessary. It is very important to arrive on time, because if a player arrives late, the rest of the team is left waiting. It is a lack of respect for the group.”

“I am not a big fan of financial fines, we are adults and intelligent to know how this works. The mentality has to be appropriate,” he added.

Commenting on the influence of Barcelona on his coaching philosophy, the new manager said,

“When I decided to become a coach, I followed Barcelona because they were playing great football. You can see it in how they develop their players. The passion you can feel here is unbelievable and that’s why I’m so excited.”

“Barcelona’s philosophy is similar to what I did at Bayern. My goal since I started as a professional coach is to play this way. I studied a lot of things about the Dutch School. My goal is to gain control on the pitch,” he added on his connection to Cruyffian ideology.

He even spoke on his time working with Pep Guardiola, saying: “There is also the period I spent with Pep. I have a good relationship with him and his period at Bayern was wonderful. What he did was incredible. I like his style and the way he develops his team.”

Flick was then directly asked to explain his idea of beautiful football, to which he said,

“We always want to be active with and without the ball. Without the ball we want to direct the opponents to the place we want so that we can take the ball from them there.”

“We want to press well and perhaps sometimes a little more than usual,” he added.

Hansi Flick replaced Xavi as Barcelona manager. (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)

Elaborating on his idea of buildup play, he emphasised that every touch of the ball must be purposeful.

“The players, how they position themselves and how they play from the first touch matters. This is a beautiful thing. I believe when the international players return, the quality of our team will increase.”

Flick, however, was firm that he was open to dynamic changes in strategy based on the opponent his team faced.

“We always play with our philosophy, our system, and how we want to play, but every match is different, so there may be some points that we change a little. It also depends on what the competitor offers us and what possibilities we see in this match for us.”

With Barcelona strongly linked with Nico Williams, the coach was questioned on how important he saw wingers to be.

“We like the wings to be on the sides to expand the field. I want them to be active, the wingers here a little want to participate in the play but I also like them to focus a little more on scoring goals, this for me is very important.”

On the squad situation

The sextuple-winning coach was then quizzed on his thoughts on conducting pre-season without several starting players available.

“Starting without key players? All teams have this. It’s not just Barcelona. Every team has this and it’s normal, but the best part about this is that you can get an overview of the talented players in the academy,” he said.

He even admitted that the injuries suffered by key players ahead of the new season was out of his hands and that it is his job to find a solution.

“I don’t think about these things because I can’t control them. This always happens to every team, so you have to accept that, as a coach and also as a club, and we continue to work.”

The coach then went on to give his opinion on the mix between youth and experience in the squad, stating how it was important to build a positive ecosystem between the two.

“What I see here from the young players, and also I must say from the experienced players, because they represent a great example for the young players, how they bring quality, intensity and activity in training.”

“They can see that the big players are doing it well, so I should also do it well. Which, for me right now, is a great balance,” he added.

On Robert Lewandowski and the Polish striker’s role in his setup, the new coach said,

“For me, Robert will definitely be in the penalty area. He is unbelievable. You know, these are his qualities, and I think what I miss here in training is scoring goals.”

“We need a lot of opportunities to score a goal in training. Robert has this, and also he is one of the players,” he added.

Barcelona’s new Golden duo. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

On the young teenage sensations Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, Flick had special praise and revealed that he looked forward to working with the duo.

“They are very good and we are really looking forward to working with them and including them in the group. We must see them, follow them and help them, and this is our job and we would love to do that.”

“The quality of the players is amazing and I think they have a lot of room for improvement,” he continued, before hinting towards another youngster who has impressed him.

“There are a lot of good young men here. Toni Fernandez turned 16 three days ago and this is unbelievable.”

On miscellaneous topics

Giving his two cents on the recently concluded Euros, Flick joined the Spain bandwagon and admitted that La Roja played the tournament’s best football while also giving his takeaways from the same.

“Football is much more than just playing with the ball, there are other things. In the Euro, Spain was the best team and deserved the title, but you can also notice other small teams that was competing highly due to their physical level which is crucial.”

Finally, the manager concluded his interview by providing his thoughts on Real Madrid and their squad.

“We have a great team and we are 100% convinced of this. Real Madrid will play only two matches with them, and we have more matches ahead of us, and we must focus on that.”

“Every step, every game, next step, next step, next step. If the Real Madrid match comes, we will be well prepared and then we will see what happens,” he added.

Source: Barça One