Barcelona’s season started with the arrival of Hansi Flick. This left many doubts due to his record with the DFB, as his German team failed to advance past the group stages of EURO 2024.
Foreigners in Spain have often faced challenges due to linguistic and cultural barriers. These issues were reasons to believe that Flick, whose main accolades had been his treble with Bayern Munich, would not succeed. However, Flick blended in at Barcelona from day one.
From Doubts to Dominance
Looking at the results, no ‘culer’ could complain. Flick’s team reached the semi-finals of the Champions League (for the first time since the traumatic 2019 fallout against Liverpool) and claimed the domestic treble.
That’s all folks! pic.twitter.com/zhmuWCEjqs
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 25, 2025
Barca won the Spanish Supercup, the Copa del Rey, and La Liga. In every game, Flick oversaw victories in El Clásico against Real Madrid, which is arguably the most important match of the season.
Many fans believed that he would crack under the pressure of Catalan media, which burned out several of Flick’s predecessors, including Xavi Hernández.
Mental Transformation
More than a tactical switch, Flick’s magic operated on the mental side of the game.
Under Xavi Hernández, Barcelona began to take on a new shape, but the team ultimately failed to deliver on its promises. Many ideas remained on the tactical pad, while turning dreams into reality was nothing more than a wish.
Barcelona’s most beautiful goals 2024/25 season.
Which one is your favorite? 🤔
pic.twitter.com/8O8ZJc9eoW— MSN (@FCBTunes) May 26, 2025
With Flick, the team played pragmatically and realistically, ambitious and yet refused to punch above its weight. Excuses were often made under Xavi, from the conditions of the pitch to accusations against VAR and referees.
This became a thing of the past under Flick, whose German pragmatism led him to focus on what he could control.
The High Line Revolution
Flick has been hailed for using a high line; a technique judged ‘risky’ by many, due to the space Barcelona was willing to give away.
More than a strategy – with more than forty goals being cancelled against Barcelona as they were ruled offside – it became the symbol of the team’s mental resilience. Barcelona dared to play and had a new identity.
Aura. pic.twitter.com/n6l35iHm0U
— FC Barcelona (@fcbarcelona_fra) May 22, 2025
It was the German pressing style which President Joan Laporta had already dreamed of in the past. Now, it was the reality as Flick used all the available players to form a counter-pressing machine.
Attack-First Philosophy
A team that was once conservative was willing to give up defensive security for offensive output. Flick understood that the focus should be on the attack, maximising the output of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
He returned to the Cruyffian principles that the best defense is the attack, which led Barcelona to concede more. The tradeoff turned out to be positive: Barcelona had never scored more goals, and was crowned Spanish champions two match days before the end of the season.
Managing Injuries
Similarly to his predecessors, Flick was asked to rethink his plans as his key players were injured. This included Dani Olmo, whose regular injuries meant Fermín López featured instead, but also injuries from Lamine Yamal, Jules Koundé, Alejandro Balde and Ronald Araújo.
Visca el Barça i Visca Catalunya!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/kTLUZjdWtH
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) May 18, 2025
All these players form part of the gala XI, which meant that Flick often needed to react in-game. A solution-finder is what Barcelona needed, and it is also what saved his career. Flick deployed Eric García as a right-back and refused to give Araújo his starter spot back due to his poor performance on the ball.
Rotation Concerns
It should also be remembered that Flick was far from perfect, especially when it came to rotations. One of the major criticisms concerned his rare rotations, as he was reluctant to fully rotate his starting XI. Coaches often allow a mix in order to avoid disrupting the continuity of the team.
However, Flick chose the total opposite. He rarely rotated, but when he did, a second team was fielded instead. Such experiments cost Barcelona important points, such as the 4-2 defeat to Osasuna, or conceded draws that forced Barcelona to fight for the Champions League and La Liga simultaneously.
Questionable Decisions
Some personal decisions remain unexplainable to the general public, such as the insistence on playing Gerard Martin as a replacement to Alejandro Balde, even prior to Balde’s injury.
Flick is here to stay. pic.twitter.com/rGj5hThGjg
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 21, 2025
Martin did not convince the fanbase due to his poor offensive output, although Flick probably liked his crossing accuracy and defensive solidity. However, his lack of technical skills often jeopardized the team as he lost the ball in key areas.
Flick also could have rotated Koundé more often, who ended the season injured as he registered the most minutes in the squad. As there were several other options (such as Fort, or later, García), it remains a questionable choice.
Overall Impact
Nonetheless, it should be remembered that Flick transformed the team and saved Laporta’s tenure ahead of next year’s elections.
The German coach improved the team’s mentality, now capable of surmounting any difficulty (including important goal deficits), and has created a harmony in the dressing room like never before.
💙❤️🖤💚 Three kits for the ages marked our 125th anniversary season. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/vvdxqoujxn
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 26, 2025
In addition to that, most of the players did improve, including the youngsters Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal. Even veterans like Iñigo Martínez and Robert Lewandowski have improved. Meanwhile, players who seemed a lost cause, like Frenkie de Jong, also improved.
For foreign coaches, it is often difficult to grasp the importance the club holds to La Masía and Cruyffian principles.
Most of these have been abandoned during the spells of Ernesto Valverde, Quique Sánchez Flores, or even Ronald Koeman. Hansi Flick is the first in recent years who was able to keep his calmness, though it can be argued that his lack of Spanish skills has helped him.
+3 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/rbhi1Pa72c
— Hansi Flick 🇩🇪 ᶠᴬᴺ (@Hansiflickk) May 25, 2025
He refused to engage in a war against the media, unlike his predecessors. He has featured several La Masía youngsters, such as Marc Casadó, and has revived the confidence of fans in the club.
