When Flick's priorities clash with those of the dressing room

BarcelonaThe lack of "freshness" is, according to Hansi Flick, one of the reasons for Barça's defeats against PSG and Real Madrid. This is the reason the German coach said was behind the 4-2 in Paris and the 1-2 at the Camp Nou in the Clásico. A reason that, despite constantly insisting that he does not like excuses, he associates with the troubled return trip from Seville, where the Blaugrana team played a League duel against Betis (2-5). Due to the rainstorm that affected Barcelona and its surroundings last October 17, the Blaugrana expedition, which had planned to return home on a charter flight after ten at night, could not take off and ended up spending the night in the Andalusian capital by express order of Flick himself. Players and staff got off the plane, slept in a hotel, returned to Catalonia the next day, and flew to Paris two days later. Too much strain on the body.

The coach's decision came after one in the morning, when he received communication that the flight might be able to take off around four in the morning. It was unilateral after more than two hours of being stranded at San Pablo airport and intensely debating with the squad's captains, who were in favor of staying on board the plane and waiting for the heavy Mediterranean storm to subside. Initially, Flick gave the players the benefit of the doubt, as they were pushing to return home as soon as possible, but he finally ended the uncertainty and ordered an express reservation of rooms in Seville. He would have taken the measure much earlier, but the players, who had already spent a night away from home before playing against Betis, begged him not to have to do a second one.

According to Flick, this circumstance affected the team's preparation for PSG and Madrid. In fact, in the press conference following the defeat in the Clásico, he reminded his disciples of the importance of managing rest well between matches: "We must disconnect, be fresh to make the best decisions, and eat and sleep well". But behind this reflection (which any elite coach would buy into) lies an internal debate that has grown since Barça hired the services of Anna West, a sleep consultant of Danish origin who, as explained to ARA from Sant Joan Despí, uses methods that generate some controversy.

Flick hired West as an external member of his staff in early 2026 to monitor and optimize the rest of his players. This professional, who visits the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper every week, takes care of details such as the material and weight of the pillows and sheets they use at night, the temperature of their rooms, or the type of pajamas they wear. She also recommends that they do not use screens before going to bed and classifies their habits using a traffic light system (green, yellow, and red) based on very elaborate tests. This information is used to manage the rest, especially of players who have small children and tend to wake up at midnight to attend to their needs.

A battle that goes back a long way

All these tips are much better received than those that affect the time they spend with their families, such as flying to Seville a day before playing a match at 6:30 PM or chaining a trip to Bilbao with another to Newcastle without stopping at home. Losing quality hours with their loved ones is what burns out Barça players. But this unrest is not new. In fact, captains like Carles Puyol or Xavi Hernández put a lot of pressure to end pre-match concentrations at the Camp Nou or nights away from home to face away games if they were not strictly necessary. Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique fell into line with these demands, but Flick, for the moment, is less lenient.

"Sometimes it is better to have a quick dinner, see your children for a while, and sleep in your own bed, even if it is for fewer hours, than to spend five nights in a hotel in a three-match week," they point out from the dressing room to this newspaper. Lamine Yamal does not have children, but on Monday he took the first part of this suggestion literally. After sportingly applauding Harry Kane's Golden Ball, he ended the night with french fries, chicken wings, and McDonald's hamburgers with his partner. May Flick not hold it against him too much.