The image of Hansi Flick, dejected on the bench after the match on Saturday evening and comforted by his captain Raphinha, has toured Europe and should worry the Blaugrana environment a little more. Despite a victory against Deportivo Alavés (3-1), the German technician was not at all convinced by the content of his own team. “After the match ended, Raphinha repeated to me what I had told him last time: ‘We are going to improve. We will be much better in the next matches’”recognized the Catalan technician, when asked about this astonishing scene.
And this Sunday, Sport goes further and explains this discomfort of the German coach, preoccupied since the slap received against Chelsea (0-3). For him, this Barça no longer has what it takes to aim for the big titles. Flick, who has accumulated a lot of stress and exhaustion since this defeat in London, is trying to reorganize his locker room, but against Alavés, the content of the match had reason to worry him: goal conceded in the first minute, moments of hesitation, glaring signs of disorganization. The observation is clear for the German, who thinks that his group lacks intensity, physical freshness and mental solidity.
The staff also worried
And for many players, the individual level has dropped – only a few rare elements have progressed, like Eric Garcia or Gerard Martín, while absences and physical problems weigh heavily. Clearly, the overall level has not improved since last season. But Hansi Flick remains confident in his ideas and his tactical strategy. It is banking on the return of key players and a collective return to form. But the urgency is there: the defense is leaking, the pressing is no longer working and there is an alarming physical and football decline.
The coming month of December promises to be decisive for FC Barcelona with a demanding schedule, including the reception of Atlético de Madrid and that of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, and there is little margin for error if Barça does not want to spoil its season. Flick’s message for his players is clear: he still believes in a return for Barça to its best level, but this will require a collective start, because the staff judges, for the moment, that the objective of lifting the Champions League is out of reach.
