Barcelona have simply accomplished arguably the best, most thrilling, unpredictable and dramatic sequence of 4 high-stakes matches throughout simply 15 days that membership soccer has ever seen.
When you’ve cherished this outrageous spectacle, the dangerous information is that their coach, Hansi Flick, needs such soccer to be put to a cease. Instantly. However earlier than you rename him Hansi the Grinch, the bitter, misanthropic inexperienced creature who stole anticipated objectives, hear me out.
Between April 26 and Could 11, we had been privileged to witness a Copa del Rey remaining, a two-legged UEFA Champions League semifinal, two decisive durations of additional time, a complete of 25 objectives (a lot of them filthily lovely), three completely different host cities (Seville, Barcelona and Milan), all adopted by a whole bunch of tens of millions of viewers worldwide — topped off by the magic of a teenage genius (Lamine Yamal) whereas two trophies (the Copa, and LaLiga) had been sealed.
For the impartial, it has been the proper antidote to woes about robotic, risk-averse gamers within the trendy recreation and sterile ways; and to legends of the game, too, equivalent to Thierry Henry, who lately admitted he has grown bored of soccer.
One of many clearest watermarks that we had seen traditional soccer compressed into an unfeasibly brief interval was Jordi Cruyff saying, “My father would have been happy with this staff.” But Flick actually, actually needs to place a cease to it.
On Sunday, he added one other clear indication of how sad he’s with the precise aspect of Barcelona’s play that has made it irresistible for the impartial to look at their barnstorming, three-trophy season.
“Solely all of you may resolve whether or not we’re essentially the most pleasing staff to look at in Europe,” Flick smiled when requested about it. “For me … it isn’t all the time enjoyable. I’ve typically suffered lots.
“This journey, which the staff and I began final summer time, hasn’t ended but. I do know that we now have large enhancements to make in our defending. I, my workers and most of the gamers all know the significance of defending higher. And that is probably not in regards to the 4 guys who play within the final line of protection. We’d like a lot better defensive stability. It is not simple defending like we do and all of us commit errors, however we should study and we should get a lot better.
“It simply hasn’t been simple to coach these enhancements when all season there’s been a match to play and journey to and from, each three or 4 days. So far as subsequent season is anxious, you may see.”
His high criticism of his gamers, since August, is their unwillingness to cease attacking blindly late in matches and as an alternative handle a lead. They really feel like puppies chasing a tennis ball within the park. He needs them to assume like Rottweilers.
Again in November, having misplaced at Actual Sociedad and drawn when 2-0 forward at Celta Vigo, Flick stated: “It is a very younger staff and we have to take extra care in sure particular conditions. After we had been 2-0 at Celta then had a person despatched off, we wanted to defend a lot better. We all the time need to assault and play, however typically it is sufficient to regulate possession and defend a lead very well.”
There’s one other aspect to what Flick needs to vary, though solely neutrals will hope it does not occur as a result of Barcelona followers will likely be outright thrilled at what he is proposing to enhance.
Sunday’s all-time thriller towards Actual Madrid made it six instances this season (six!) that Barcelona have been two objectives behind in a match (Benfica, Atlético Madrid twice, Madrid, Celta and Inter Milan — twice away from house and 4 instances at their very own stadium) however come again to attract or win.
Flick needs to take that grandstanding and chuck it within the bin. Rattling him and his demanding perfectionism, proper? He does not need the stress and threat of getting to maintain on overhauling two-goal deficits.
When this season ends, it may be the case that Barcelona missed out on solely one of many 4 trophies that had been obtainable to them this season following Flick’s arrival — the large one: the Champions League.
And I do know one tiny element, which could not have registered in your radar, is on his thoughts from that epic elimination in Milan final week once they had been main 3-2 and heading via to the ultimate with two minutes left. It was when Barcelona broke upfield and Yamal opted to shoot as an alternative of preserve possession, win a throw-in, a free kick or a nook.
The teenage genius hammered his effort off Yann Sommer’s put up, with the Swiss goalkeeper utterly overwhelmed. If it goes in, then Yamal nearly routinely goes direct to the Ballon d’Or ceremony to choose up the Golden Ball that I fervently hope he wins anyway.
No criticism from me for the 17-year-old trying to utterly kill the semifinal, however on Flick’s “Issues About Which We Can Be Extra Ruthless” scale, it is impactful that from the following motion, after Yamal’s shot cannoned off the put up, Inter stormed straight up the pitch and scored the equalizer that introduced additional time and, in the end, defeat. If he had stored the ball, performed for time, would Barcelona be heading to Munich in a few weeks’ time to contest the Champions League remaining and joust for a treble? Fairly probably.
Flick has all the time exuded delight in his staff and admiration for the gamers. He 100% needs them to play aesthetically lovely and entertaining soccer, however he needs tiny particulars of mentality, depth, grittiness and ruthlessness to improve.
And therefore, Barcelona’s clear first precedence within the upcoming switch market is to signal a high-class central defender. They’ve had Jonathan Tah (a title winner with Bayer Leverkusen and a 6-foot-5 29-year-old who performed a few instances for Flick when he was accountable for Germany) on the high of their listing for months. That is partly as a result of he’ll transfer on a free switch, and Barcelona’s Monetary Honest Play scenario is so acute that his free-agent standing is deeply enticing.
However together with his present coach, Xabi Alonso, about to take over at Actual Madrid (anticipate an announcement imminently), will Tah be part of him there as an alternative? We will see.
Flick, like all nice leaders, is planning for the following marketing campaign at a time when others are solely simply starting to rejoice the present style of victory. And he needs one of many best entertaining groups in trendy historical past to morph right into a model that’s much less dramatic, extra gritty, much less heart-stopping and ruthlessly stops opponents.
If he achieves it, then who can cease them subsequent season? Nobody.
