Flick sees the glass half empty

BarcelonaBehind Hansi Flick's endearing gaze, his blue eyes, and the smile with which he usually connects with people, lies a person with clear ideas. Being friendly and approachable doesn't invalidate being demanding, and he is that way with his players. Always. Every day. He believes it's the only path to success. Time and his resume prove him right. He's an old hand, has seen it all, and knows perfectly well that one of the most common mistakes players make is letting go after a resounding success. When last season ended, he said goodbye to players who had only one mission: comply with the training schedule that had been designed by the team of physiotherapists led by Julio Tous. So training resumed, he took the reins and turned up the intensity to the maximum.

A year ago, his work methods surprised more than one player, who didn't expect the physical level of the training sessions compared to what he'd done in recent seasons. But Flick took the locker room into his pocket because he showed with facts that work, even if it was very hard, had results on the pitch. This time everyone was cautious, but, nevertheless, the German coach has had to let out a few shouts in the preparation sessions because he saw things that didn't quite convince him. "Flick always says that leagues are not won at the end, but at the beginning, which is where many clubs drop points," Pedri had said previously.

After the debut in MallorcaFlick was very forceful with his players. They won 3-0, although the match was heavily influenced by the incident that led to the second goal—Raíllo headed the ball away, fell to the ground, and play continued—and the double expulsion of the home team's players before halftime. Consequently, Barça's players eased off, aware that they had the victory in their bag, letting the minutes run out. The vast majority of coaches would have been understanding with their players and even cited the start of the season or the intense heat at Son Moix as justification. He didn't. And he said so publicly on Movistar's microphones: "I didn't like the match. They're three important points, yes, but after going 2-0 down and the two expulsions, I think my team played at 50%. This can't be right! I have to talk to the referees about this."

Flick, a no-nonsense coach

It wasn't the first time Flick had made disapproving comments. He makes these calls in the locker room, but he also makes them in public. He generally speaks about the team, although he has also taken to the court, singling out individual players. Before the debut in Mallorca, talk openly about Fermín, a player who received praise for his good performance at Gamper, but who, in the coach's eyes, had had a rather poor start to the season. "He was very good last season, but at the start of preseason I wasn't that impressed with him. However, he's taken a step forward in recent weeks." Last year they also had to publicly welcome Lamine Yamal (who hinted that he wasn't training at his best), Jules Kounde (who repeatedly arrived late), Ansu Fati, and Héctor Fort (who complained about substitutions).

It's been proven that Flick doesn't mince words, but the club knows that if he complains, it's because he believes he has a reason. And at the start of the season, he's seen many things that haven't convinced him. Beyond the work of his players in training, the German was of those who complained most about the Asian tour, which started a day later than expected, had complicated travel logistics and resulted in lower-quality training sessions than he would have liked. "He knows that these tours are important for the club's finances, but he makes you aware that if you don't prepare well for the season, you lose more than you gain," the Barça board noted.

The uncertainty surrounding registrations also didn't convince the coach. Joan Garcia and Marcus Rashford They didn't receive official approval from La Liga until Saturday, while Wojciech Szczesny, Gerard Martín, and Roony Bardghji had to watch their debut from their sofas at home. The latter three probably wouldn't have played at Son Moix either, although alarm bells went off when Joan Garcia had to withdraw during the warm-up with a minor hand problem. Fortunately for the club, it was just a scare.

At the team presentation, during the controversial Gamper match marked by the conflict with Ter Stegen, Flick closed his speech by assuring them that he "wouldn't look for excuses." For now, he doesn't have to justify poor results, but he makes it clear that he sees the glass as half empty.