In the preview of the Barça-Celta match this Wednesday (9:30 PM, Movistar), Hansi Flick has defended that the team has recovered from their Champions League elimination and that "the atmosphere is very good" to achieve what would be the second consecutive league title with the German on the bench. "The players are well, happy, and motivated. I see it in training. Now we have to transfer it to the remaining matches." The Barça coach has praised his players, a very young group, and has recalled his affection for Barça and also for the city of Barcelona. This has led him to talk about his continuity in the Catalan institution, beyond the next season (2026-27), in which his current contract would end.

After the departure of Iñigo Martínez, Hansi Flick lost much more than a starter and a fundamental piece for his footballing idea: he was left without a left-footed centre-back. The absence of the defender from Ondarroa was particularly noticeable in the first part of the season, when the team left many doubts in defence. Pau Cubarsí, who began to establish himself with Xavi Hernández and was confirmed as an undisputed starter with Hansi Flick, was one of the first to notice it: forced to change his profile in the centre, it was not the same to have Iñigo Martínez as Ronald Araujo as his dancing partner. Finally, the solution the German coach ended up finding was to convert Gerard Martín into a centre-back. The experiment, previously tested in training, was transferred for the first time to a match on November 22nd, which coincided with the return to Camp Nou and ended with a resounding and comfortable 4-0 victory over Athletic Club.

The permission that Barça has given Raphinha to disconnect in Porto Alegre after getting injured with the canarinha is surprising because it deviates from the usual script. Although it is easy to empathize with the boy's emotional setback, it is very jarring that a player who has repeatedly torn his hamstring starts his recovery far from the Sports City. Especially if we consider that the medical services of the club that pays him have not yet been able to examine him.

In a few weeks it will be five years since Hansi Flick's surprising resignation from the Bayern Munich bench. In April 2021, just eight months after winning a treble – including a 2-8 victory over Messi's Barça – with the Bavarians, and despite having a contract secured until 2023, the coach announced he would not continue in the role due to deep disagreements with the club's sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, who made a series of decisions he did not like, such as not renewing Thiago Alcántara or Ivan Perisic.

A perfect day at Can Barça. Thousands of people have shown that this club is special because you can vote, there's a new stand open that has made the stadium feel spacious, and they've dominated on the pitch, where they didn't have to suffer for a single moment. As if it were a Gamper Trophy match or a barbecue, Sevilla let themselves be led to the slaughter like lambs and made it easy for Flick's Barça.

"I'm counting on you. Not just for the future, but for this season too. You'll get more playing time, and it will be quality playing time. I want you to stay." Just as he did with Eric Garcia in the winter transfer window last season, Hansi Flick spoke with Marc Bernal in January. Míchel's Girona was tempting him, promising him the playing time he wasn't getting in his second season with the Barça first team, after a dazzling start at seventeen that was cut short by a serious left knee injury. This sentiment was echoed by both Barça and the player's entourage, as well as by Bernal himself. He said it in an interview on the ARAIt was claimed that he was recovered, but until January his presence was minimal: 189 minutes between August and December.

THE RAPHINHA INVENTION

Hansi Flick promised Stamford Bridge that we would soon see a better version of Barça and, despite the setbacks, has finished in the Champions League Top 8That tough defeat forced the team to confront the reality of European expectations. It's undeniable that we've seen a Barça on the rise online, but to seriously compete in the most coveted race, they'll have to raise their level considerably. The first to recognize this is the coach, who, after the victory against Copenhagen, admitted that to aspire to the title, "we have to do things much, much better." He had seemed particularly angry about conceding the goal right at the start, after having spent the hours leading up to the match repeating the importance of achieving a "clean sheetThis is the great Achilles' heel of his Barça and, probably, the most obvious obstacle to prevailing when the big stages arrive. Since then, they haven't reached it again. Eleven matches, eight this season and three last, with 24 goals conceded. The calculator says the average is more than two goals per game. The persistent debate that, at the beginning of the season, had arisen around the risks of playing with such an advanced defensive line, with expert voices like Thierry Henry irritating him so much, has been closed. Strong in possession and even more relentless in pressing after losing it. Imaginative, daydreaming, falling madly in love without restraint, enjoying without fear. Why not?

The fourth title of the Hansi Flick era is here. Barça has beaten Real Madrid (3-2) and continues to dominate the national scene under the guidance of the German coachHe has equaled Luis Enrique's record after winning four of the first five titles he has competed for on the Catalan bench. Joan Garcia, Marc Bernal, Marcus Rashford, and Rooney Bardghji have all won their first titles with Barça, while Hansi Flick remains Real Madrid's nemesis. Since taking over at Barça, he has won five of the six Clásicos he has managed, three of them in finals. Flick has never lost a final; the German coach has won all eight finals he has managed.

Few footballers at Barça have a recent history as unique as Fermín López's. Perhaps the closest is Gerard Martín, who went from Cornellà to playing in a Champions League semi-final under Hansi Flick. In the case of the Andalusian attacking midfielder, the credit must be given, aside from the player himself and former youth academy director Jordi Roura, to Xavi Hernández. The former Barça coach was the one who placed the most faith in Fermín when he was practically out of the club – he went on loan to Linares – without even having made his debut with the first team. "Xavi is his mentor and, with Flick, little by little, he ended up earning a place," Roura said. He praised the footballer's father in a conversation with ARA"We are very grateful to all the Barça fans and all Catalans for how much they love him," he added.

Contrary to what many thought, when Hansi Flick surprised everyone by playing Gerard Martín at centre-back on the last Asian tour, he didn't yet know he would stay. without Iñigo Martínez, Barça's best defender last season. The German coach improvised this solution because the Basque player was experiencing discomfort, and the only left-footed player adaptable to the center-back position was the Barcelona native, who until then had only performed adequately as an alternative to Alejandro Balde. Flick had considered Iñigo his first choice, but on the plane back from South Korea, he received the news that Iñigo was leaving for Saudi Arabia. His reaction was a mixture of understanding, disappointment, and concern. As he was losing a key player both on the pitch and in the locker room, the coach asked the sporting director to explore the transfer market to fill the gap. However, with the Marc-André ter Stegen saga—and the registrations of Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford, and Roony Bardghji—still unresolved, the response at that time was to make do with Andreas Christensen, who went from being on the verge of leaving to being listed as the fourth natural center-back in the squad. Now, however, the Danish footballer has partially torn his cruciate ligament and will be out for at least the next four months. While he wasn't playing much, he guaranteed reliability in the heart of the defense and posed a threat to the opposing penalty area thanks to his aerial ability. as he clearly demonstrated on the field in Guadalajara.

In Barça terms, he's the man of 2025. Hansi Flick has managed to lift the spirits of the Barça faithful by creating a team that inspires, wins, and entertains. And he's done it with many homegrown players. This year, he's won three titles, come within a whisker of returning to a Champions League final, and has demonstrated the skills to navigate the always treacherous waters of Barça fandom, where more than one has drowned.

Barça traveled to Villarreal, always a difficult ground, with their hearts heavy due to bad news. Andreas Christensen, the unexpected hero of Tuesday's challenging Copa del Rey match in Guadalajara, was once again facing setbacks. This time, the Danish defender, considered by the coaching staff to be the most complete center-back in the squad when fully fit, will be sidelined for approximately four months with a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He will avoid surgery, but will most likely miss the decisive stretch of the season, during which he was also expected to prove himself in order to renew his contract, which expires on June 30. Besides Christensen, Hansi Flick also had to contend with the absence of Pedri González at La Cerámica, in this case due to muscle overload, the same reason given for Jules Koundé's substitution. at the end of the match against the yellows.

The Barça presidential elections have not yet been scheduled, although according to the club's statutes they must take place between March 15 and June 15. For weeks, even months, the candidates have been actively campaigning to raise their profile and present their proposals to the Barça fanbase. Joan Laporta, the incumbent president seeking re-election, has also been actively campaigning, recently intensifying his meetings with members to discuss his legacy and gather suggestions and concerns that will inform his electoral platform. As with any sports club, results are important, and lately, the current board has been enjoying good fortune. Regardless of the outcome in Villarreal, Barça will head into the Christmas break as leaders of the men's First Division. The women's team is progressing steadily in the Women's League and the Champions League, where they finished first in the group stage. While basketball is enjoying a golden moment since Xavi Pascual returned as coach, stringing together eight consecutive victories—the latest an epic three-overtime win that also set a EuroLeague scoring record—any candidate knows that having the support of professionals is equally important. Joan Laporta received a very pleasant surprise this afternoon when he heard Hansi Flick speak. In the lead-up to Sunday's league game at the Estadio de la Cerámica (4:15 p.m., DAZN), the German coach praised the current president, thanking him for hiring him a year and a half ago.

Following the defeat in London, Hansi Flick was emphatic in the press conference: "We will see a different Barça, I can promise you that."And he wasn't wrong. Since that 3-0 defeat at Chelsea, Barça has strung together five consecutive victories, allowing them to seize the lead in La Liga and keep alive their hopes of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League to avoid a knockout round (the play-offIn Europe, this is important given the tight schedule. The return of Joan Garcia, Pedri, and Raphinha—the backbone of Hansi Flick's Barça—has been key, but so has the team's defensive improvement, thanks to the stability of the center-back pairing. Without Iñigo Martínez, the German coach began the season searching for a left-sided center-back. With Pau Cubarsí a fixture in the heart of the defense—having missed only four matches this season—Araujo, Eric Garcia, and Christensen competed to see who could secure a starting spot alongside the player from Estanyol. The Uruguayan –now on indefinite leave– He has been the one who has accompanied the Catalan footballer from the start the most times, up to seven.The last time was at Chelsea's ground, when he was sent off for a second yellow card before halftime. Eric – who this season has played at full-back on both sides, center-back, and defensive midfielder – has started alongside Cubarsí five times, while Christensen has not started with the Girona native. Other pairings used by the German manager from the start were Eric Garcia with either Christensen or Araujo, each on two occasions, and the Uruguayan and the Dane, who started together against Real Sociedad.

Hansi Flick is a man of his word. At Stamford Bridge, still reeling from the 3-0 defeat, he delivered a positive message to reaffirm confidence in his work: "We'll soon see a different Barça, I can promise you that." And so it was. The victory against Atlético de MadridThe first win against a top team this season is very significant because it reinforces the manager's position and shows the players the way forward. He'd been saying for weeks that by clearing the infirmary of key players, the team's level would rise. From Flick's dejected image after the lackluster victory against Alavés, we went to euphoria in just 72 hours. And who was there to embrace him immediately? Raphinha. His number one ally in pressing, commitment, mentality, and attacking depth. Being able to have him back, along with Pedri's magnificent magic in the starting eleven, means the team suddenly surpasses twenty levels of the video game.

Hansi Flick sat dejected and alone on the bench after defeating Alavés. The players seemed satisfied, and the president, Joan Laporta, was already heading down to the locker room to celebrate the club's 126th anniversary with a cake, but the coach didn't look pleased. Only the Brazilian Raphinha seemed to notice and went over to Flick to talk to him attentively. "After the final whistle, Raphinha told me the same thing as last time: that we're going to improve. That we'll do much better in the following matches," the coach explained.

Sunday's Barça-Elx match was the first game without Pedri González López. A thigh injury will force The Canary Islander's season will be suspended until December, and consequently, Hansi Flick's team will have to reinvent itself. Unlike Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernández, the German coach had always had at his disposal the most influential midfielder in La Liga, the leader in touches, passes completed, and successful passes, and second only to Luis Milla of Getafe in ball recoveries. In the first match without him, Flick positioned Marc Casadó at the back, and Frenkie de Jong, who normally occupies this deeper position, moved forward to try and fill the void. The Dutch player, as admitted by the visiting coach, Eder Sarabia, was one of the most disruptive elements. "He knows exactly where to hurt us. That's what unsettled us in the first half," he stated. Quique Setién's former assistant at Barça.

Pedri González López has suffered an injury. The Canary Islands midfielder, a key player in Hansi Flick's Barcelona system, has a tear in the distal biceps femoris muscle of his left leg, which will keep him out of action for the next few weeks. This Wednesday he did specific work in the gym to begin his recovery from this physical problem. of Sunday's classic at the Bernabéu, in which he ended up exhausted and sent off for two yellow cards. He will miss Elche's visit to Montjuïc this weekend due to suspension and, at a minimum, the two matches before the international break against Belgian side Club Brugge in the Champions League and Celta Vigo in La Liga. One positive takeaway at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper is that Luis de la Fuente will almost certainly not call him up for the upcoming matches with the Spanish national team against Georgia and Turkey.

"Now is when they really need to withstand the surge. If they can't hold on now, the season will be over." That's how emphatic his prediction is for the ARA. after Sunday's derby (2-1), A voice very close to the Barça dressing room. Like many Barça fans, this person sees that Hansi Flick's team It has lost some of the attributes that made it soar just a few months ago. Nevertheless, he sees a glimmer of hope and proposes a two-part recovery plan. The first, as indicated in the quote that opens this text, involves navigating this difficult period with minimal impact on results. The second, which requires more time, depends on rediscovering the team's strengths through quality training sessions that will also help stem the tide of injuries plaguing every member of the Barça coaching staff. Far from being a turning point, Barça's performance at the Bernabéu confirmed the negative signs displayed against Sevilla, Girona, and Olympiacos. Instead of replicating the boldness that led to their crushing victory over Real Madrid in all four Clásicos last season, Flick's men took few risks in attack to avoid counter-attacks. Instead of bringing Lamine Yamal on in the opening minutes, when he was least likely to be affected by his groin injury, the team prioritized safe passes to minimize turnovers. Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres also failed to offer many solutions in space. Flick's tactics not only failed to subdue Real Madrid, but they also lost steam as time went on and Xabi Alonso's men began to expose their superiority. downgrade Barça's weakness at the start of the season: pressure.