Flick wins big with his gamble at Barca

Hansi Flick and his philosophy of using offense to compensate for defense helped Barcelona overcome Real Madrid.

The "El Clasico" match in round 35 of La Liga saw Barcelona beat Real Madrid with a dramatic score of 4-3, consolidating the top position and widening the gap with their arch-rivals to 7 points. This victory is not only meaningful in terms of points but also a clear demonstration of the interesting tactical and football philosophy of coach Hansi Flick.

Impression

In the history of Spanish football, there have not been many seasons where Barca have beaten Real Madrid in El Clasico matches. This season, Barca have almost destroyed the Spanish capital team in direct confrontations.

The Catalans not only won, but won convincingly. When Hansi Flick took over Barcelona in the summer of 2024, he faced a team in financial crisis, directionless after a period of decline under Xavi.

However, in less than a year, the German strategist has revived Barcelona with his signature football philosophy: overwhelming attack, high pressing, and defending with the offside trap. El Pais once commented that Flick's formation was like a "whirlwind", with short passes, constant movement, and the ability to dominate space.

In the Clasico on May 11, Flick’s philosophy of using offense to compensate for defense was clearly demonstrated. Instead of dropping deep to deal with Real Madrid’s fast-paced attack – with Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Junior – Flick instructed Barcelona to push up their defense, accepting the risk of creating an offside trap.

They even let Real take the lead twice. However, just like against Inter Milan a few days earlier, Barcelona showed that they can shoot past any defense in the world . Barcelona's attack, led by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, became a sharp weapon to compensate for the defensive risks.

After the match last weekend, Toni Kroos had to exclaim on his personal page: "We have to take our hats off to Hansi Flick and Barcelona."

Hansi Flick's mark on Barca is huge.

Obviously, despite many shortcomings in their playing style, Barcelona under Hansi Flick has still made a strong impression this season. The rain of goals and the open-minded attacking style have earned them admiration from the public.

Faith in La Masia

One of Flick’s bold decisions this season has been to put absolute faith in the young talents from La Masia, despite the pressure of results. More than half of Barca’s regular starting XI this season are under 23, including Lamine Yamal (17), Pau Cubarsi (18), Pedri (22), Gavi (20) and Marc Casado (21).

Cubarsi or Casado, before that Bernal were all almost unknown before Flick came to Barca this season. Flick's young squad sometimes lacked experience, leading to unfortunate losses against Atletico Madrid (1-2) or Leganes (0-1).

In the match against Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals, this scenario repeated itself when the young Barca players could not protect the result at the end of the match, contributing to Barcelona losing 3-4 and stopping.

Flick is aware of this problem and uses psychologists to improve his playing spirit, while also applying individual recovery plans for each player to avoid overload.

The German coach places a lot of emphasis on emotional control, which is perfect for guiding the impulsive young players in the squad. Working with Flick has given many young players from La Masia a chance to make their first-team debut.

With one hand on the La Liga title this season, Flick will have a fairly smooth first season with Barcelona. Previously, the coach helped the club win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. The 4-3 victory over Real Madrid was the pinnacle of Hansi Flick's philosophy at Barcelona.

By placing his faith in young talents like Yamal, Cubarsi and Casado, combined with a risky style of attacking and defending, Flick not only helped Barcelona overcome their great rivals but also rekindled the glory of the past.

Despite their shortcomings, Flick's young team is ushering in a new era for Barcelona fans.