Thierry Henry says Xavi, not Flick, started the new era at Barcelona | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are receiving a lot of plaudits for their performances both in La Liga and the Champions League this season. Under Hansi Flick, the performances have been exceptional so far this season and the German coach is rightly receiving all the accolades.

Last night, against Red Star Belgrade, Barcelona got past the Serbian side 5-1. A brace from Robert Lewandowski and goals from Raphinha, Inigo Martinez, and Fermin Lopez helped the Catalan club get past their opponents on the night.

The Barcelona attack has been rampant so far this season. They score goals more than they concede. They almost always play entertaining, attack-minded football and last night in Serbia was no different from what one has grown to expect from them.

After the game, there were lots of discussions about Hansi Flick but Former Barcelona and Arsenal player now-turned-pundit Thierry Henry has highlighted the role of Xavi Hernandez behind the new era at the club, considering the foundations that he laid.

As quoted by SPORT, Henry has claimed that this new era was not started by Flick but rather by Xavi Hernandez, with his decision to include players like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi in the first team.

“I don’t think Hansi Flick started a new era… Xavi did it. He (Flick) has been smart in continuing what Xavi did, bringing out Cubarsí, and Lamine Yamal… Now the work he has been doing for the last two years with the players has been consolidated.”

Henry then went on to claim that the club is on the perfect path to win and should they continue in the same way, they might be favorites in all the competitions. He said: “FC Barcelona is one of the favorites to win, they can also lose but they are on the right path.”

Flick is leading a mini-revolution at Barcelona and his team has been setting records, left, right, and center. He has taken the foundations that Xavi Hernandez laid in his two-and-a-half-year stint at the club and consolidated them while taking it to the next level.

There are things that the German manager has done that Xavi failed to do, such as giving a prominent role to Marc Casado. He has placed even more trust in La Masia than the Spanish tactician, and Barcelona are reaping the rewards. Let’s wait and see how it plays out this season.