Barça has become what Messi and company had feared so much.
The comeback at the Metropolitano keeps the Blaugranas in winning form
BarcelonaThe 2020 Bayern Munich team had very distinct tactical characteristics, players with a high technical level, and also notable conditioning abilities. They were a well-coached team, but above all, they impressed with their mentality. They played as if they didn't fear losing, or as if defeat simply wasn't an possibility. The players in the squad, the same ones who were playing poorly under Niko Kovač, blindly believed in Hansi Flick's idea and implemented it with a degree of fanaticism that surprised many.
"You can't play with the defensive line so high," the experts said, "Mbappé and Neymar will kill you in space." "They can't press so ferociously throughout the entire match; they need a backup plan," others pointed out. Flick's Bayern Munich continued to play their way, thrashing Neymar and Mbappé's PSG in the Champions League final and winning all six titles in that historic 2020 season. They were a team with zeal, enthusiasm, and a confidence that even insulted their abilities and style of play. With that plan, they sank Leo Messi's Barça on a memorable pandemic night in Lisbon. It's the worst European memory the Argentine and his generation take away from their years at Camp Nou. The work of a feared bête noire in... until this season.
But Flick's Bayern didn't need too many feats like Barça's on Sunday at the Metropolitano. They were so superior to their opponents that they usually crushed them ruthlessly before they could even dream of finishing the match with fewer than four goals conceded. But yes, at certain moments, they demonstrated the tenacity and resilience to adversity that Flick's Barça is displaying. For example, in the Super Cups, without which the six-team tournament wouldn't exist. In the European Championship, grotesque refereeing (and a miraculous save from Neuer) ensured the game against Sevilla went into extra time. There, a goal from Javi Martínez secured the title. In Germany, Dortmund, led by a voracious Haaland, equalized after starting 2-0 down. The Norwegian's fresher team looked poised to end Flick's triumphant run, but Neuer once again donned the Krampus disguise to scare Haaland and prevent a 3-2 draw in a clear one-on-one. Shortly before the end, Kimmich made an immense effort to win back just one ball and invented a move, in collaboration with Lewandowski, that secured the fifth title of that frantic campaign. The sixth, the Club World Cup, would later be clinched.
Why doesn't Flick rely on Plan B?
It's incredible that Hansi Flick has done it again. And again in record time. Beyond the titles he may win, his Barça is a team of tremendous personality. The footballing idea is non-negotiable, and there's no need for a Plan B because that already comes from the bench, like Ferran Torres. What does Plan B mean? Taking the lead and handing the initiative to the opponent? No, Flick will never do that. Among other reasons, because it doesn't guarantee victory either—quite the opposite, and because Flick doesn't feel football that way. He wants to win, but he wants to do it in a fun, exciting way, and creating a sense of belonging. And his Barça is exactly that: a fun, exciting team with a strong sense of belonging. This last aspect is cultivated by a style of play that matches the club's identity and history, but the roots must be found in the players. Barça, in this sense, has a treasure called Masia.
Around the Cubarsí axis, Marc Bernal when he recovers, and Lamine Yamal, the Blaugrana can aspire to build a fascinating team. Well surrounded by other homegrown players, such as Dani Olmo, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casadó, Gavi, and Fermín; by players who have arrived from abroad but who live football with the same passion, such as Pedri; and by the international stars that the club can afford, such as Raphinha, who under the German coach is shining like never before.
It really doesn't matter if Flick's first Barça wins the treble, the sextet, just the League or the Cup, or even absolutely nothing. It could happen because football is the most unpredictable sport, but certain things can be predicted. One fairly obvious one is that this team, based on its squad, its age structure, its coach, and its footballing approach, can mark an era at the club. This should be the main objective of FC Barcelona. Make this possible. At Bayern, Flick won everything, but it was just a midsummer night's dream.
