From 2009 to 2025: How is Guardiola's first Barça similar to Flick's?

BarcelonaThe first matchball To achieve the treble means winning a Cup final that Real Madrid has threatened not to play. While it's hard to get excited because the team will be playing in the final four years later, will be in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019, and Ancelotti's team has yet to say its final word in La Liga, it's also true that under Hansi Flick, the team has earned the right to win. It also didn't seem possible that in the summer of 2008, a very young Pep Guardiola could turn a listless Barça into a team that would wow the entire continent.

The choice of coach

Let's start at the beginning. Guardiola's selection was a presidential coup by Joan Laporta. The board's core preferred Mourinho. Laporta, however, preferred to listen to his heart (and Johan Cruyff). On May 8, 2008, the president publicly announced that Guardiola, who had barely a year of experience in coaching with the reserve team's promotion to Segunda B, would be Rijkaard's replacement. Similarly, Flick has been a bet with Laporta's personal stamp.

After Koeman's departure in the summer of 2021, he ended up replacing him in November for Xavi, advised by Alejandro Echevarría, a figure without a position at the club but very influential for the president. Two and a half seasons later—and after all the fuss surrounding the delayed resignation of the man from Egaro, which ended with his resignation and dismissal—Laporta fulfilled one of his main desires: signing a coach from the German school. As with Guardiola, his instinct has returned to work.

The seven lives of Joan Laporta

Laporta blessed Guardiola's election with "the enthusiasm and excitement of a new era." This was also the case for the president, who had survived a vote of no confidence just a month or so before presenting the coach. In this second term, the president didn't have to face a vote of no confidence, but he also weathered storms. From the cider-like Negreira case, which remains in the courts, to the recurring problems registering players or financial agreements in Eastern Europe or the Persian Gulf, which call into question the club's values, and the constant delays in returning to Camp Nou.

Along the way, numerous resignations. Up to a dozen directors—including Ferran Soriano, one of the architects of reviving Barça's economy and brand—folded their hopes. The situation is different now, but more than fifteen people, including directors and senior executives, have also left the ship: Jaume Giró, Ferran Reverter, Eduard Romeu, Juli Guiu, Mateu Alemán, Jordi Cruyff, Fran Carbó, Jordi Llauradó, Jaume Llopis, Jordi Camps, Enric Llopart and Maribel.

A single high-profile signing and personal bets from the youth team

The parallels also exist in the sporting arena. The weakened economy in both cases influenced their signings. The biggest signing in the summer of 2008 was Dani Alves, signed from Sevilla for €36 million. Flick brought in Dani Olmo (€55 million). The Brazilian would prove decisive for that team: 54 appearances, five goals, and thirteen assists, in addition to a crucial partnership on the right wing with Messi. Olmo didn't have the same continuity—31 appearances—due to injuries, but he also produced impactful performances: including the opening goal and the penalty in the comeback against Celta Vigo, and the winning goal against Mallorca in the final La Liga match.

The few signings made them look at the youth academy. Here, too, there are coincidences: Guardiola promoted Busquets and Pedro directly from the Third Division to the elite. Flick, apart from giving continuity to youngsters who already debuted under Xavi and Koeman, has also made personal commitments that have only been hindered by injuries. This is the case with Marc Bernal and Marc Casadó and, to a lesser extent, with Gerard Martin.

Redemptions up front and veterans shining

Up front, Henry and, especially, Eto'o, whom the captains saved from the Renove plan Under Guardiola, they shone brightly after posting very modest numbers the previous season. The Frenchman scored 26 goals and provided eleven assists in the 2008-09 season, with a very notable performance in the 6-2 draw at the Bernabéu. The Cameroonian narrowed the gap under the Santpedor coach: 36 goals and six assists, double the number from the previous season. Under Flick, Raphinha is offering his best version: 30 goals and 23 assists. Lewandowski, who seemed doomed, is experiencing a second youth: 40 goals and three assists at 36 years of age. The Pole isn't the only veteran who stands out: if under Guardiola Márquez offered quality minutes in the center of defense, under Flick it's Iñigo. It's understandable that Real Madrid doesn't want to play in the final.