Hansi Flick's significant "botifarra": hot notes from Barça-Girona

BarcelonaBarça-Girona matches have never disappointed lately. It was a beautiful derby, with Barça managing to win in the final minutes without playing well at all. The absences aside, something still isn't right in a team that, at times, played with fire against a Girona side that seemed ready to react and could have won. Despite the defeat, Girona comes out of the match stronger. They seem to be finding their way. The victory, on the other hand, hasn't calmed an overly nervous Flick. He has good reason to.

Like Guardiola and Cruyff...

Just when it seemed Hansi Flick was losing his cool, he found it again. The German coach, sent off for protesting with a red card that will keep him out of the Santiago Bernabéu next week, had just minutes earlier played Araujo as a center forward. True, it's not a tactical stroke of genius. Alexanko and Piqué had already done it, but if Cruyff and Guardiola had played defenders as strikers, couldn't he too? It's a trick that always works.

...and like Schuster, with a country sausage.

Who was Flick doing the dirty? Sent off, the coach gave a snub like his compatriot Bernd Schuster did years ago. Could it be against the referee, who wasn't having a good day? Or against the adversity, after the injuries and the many problems? It's clear these have been tough days, with rumors about Lamine being late and the coach being forced to play him against PSG; with a poor relationship with the Federation, injuries, defeats, and doubts. He let his anger out like that. It's not right, we know that. But I think we can understand it.

Michel, frustrated

Girona continues to struggle, but it feels like something is changing. At the Olímpic, we saw a team that knew how to compete, defending well and punishing the Barça defense throughout the first half. At times, they looked like the Girona of the Champions League, those who knew how to run, those who knew how to bite, those who didn't panic. Míchel needs time; it seems he can turn things around.

Lamine, what a dare.

Lamine had a sad face on the bench. It's true that after being injured, he wasn't expected to be the best player of the match. He did a few things, because talent is always on the cards, but the genius from Rocafonda isn't having his best days. Injuries, debates, rumors about whether he's late. Maybe he's doing fine now. It's good that he sees the team can win without him. It's good that he understands that, if he wants to be the best, he must change some things in his way of working.