Xavi got off Flick on top, another "big gamble" for Barcelona

Football Newspaper

2024-05-25 11:27Posted on the official account of Guangdong Football News

Journalist Han Bing reported that after waiting for Laporta for six hours at Gamble Sports City last Friday, Xavi could not wait for an interview with the Barcelona president; Xavi was also scheduled to wait for a future meeting with Laporta and Barcelona executives on Monday. Instead, there was a simple meeting announcing Xavi's departure, and the ensuing official announcement of his second dismissal of the season.

Xavi's farewell was still sincere, while Barcelona's official announcement was only a few words of best wishes and thanks. Laporta has long been eager to open up about his "two-way run" with Flick, which is the proud hand of his best friend's agent Zahavi and another big gamble for Barca's future.

Since being sacked by the German Football Association in September last year, Flick has been able to manage Barcelona despite the ups and downs of Xavi's stay, and his new agent Zahavi's close relationship with Laporta this year is key.

Xavi's results were also unsatisfactory during Flick's absence last year, and Laporta has already regarded the German as his first choice to succeed Xavi. At the beginning of this year, Flick became a new client of Lewandowski's agent, Zahavi, and his coaching of Barcelona has accelerated in an all-round way. Flick's good relations with Robert Lewandowski, Gundogan and Ter Stegen during his tenure as Bayern and Germany coach are another important reason why Laporta is optimistic about him. The Barcelona president even "tailored" the targets for Flick last year, including Kimmich, Goretzka and Adeyemi, with the intention of fully starting the "Germanization" of Barcelona.

After Tuchel announced his departure at the end of the season at the end of February, he was in fact more interested in the "long-term planning" of Barca's revival, although the German media had been creating public opinion about Flick's return to Bayern. Chelsea and Liverpool have both expressed interest in Flick, but he still chose to wait for Barca. Bayern tried Flick's wishes at the beginning of May and were replied that in addition to a contract of at least three years, Klose and the sacked goalkeeper coach Tapalovic returned. The Bayern Supervisory Board and the dressing room had a huge disagreement, and Flick and Bayern "gave up in both directions".

As early as April 24, Flick had informed a Barcelona player that he had reached an agreement with Barcelona. Despite Xavi's announcement that night that he would stay, Flick was willing to wait. After the rapid deterioration of relations between Laporta and Xavi last week, Flick's management of Barcelona is no longer in doubt. When Xavi announced his departure at the end of the season at the end of January, he voluntarily gave up the remaining year of his annual salary of 15 million euros. Flick's annual salary is 30% lower than Xavi's, and he respects Barca's financial plight more than Xavi, and will not ask too much for summer signings, preferring to dig for potential inside. Flick and Laporta can be called "going both ways", so the Barcelona president can't wait to officially announce Xavi's departure in advance.

However, the German and Spanish media did not dare to be overly optimistic about Flick's prospects at Barcelona. Previously, there were only 2 German coaches out of 63 coaches in Barcelona's history, and neither of them was successful. In 1975/76, Borussia Monchengladbach became Bayern's top rival, Weissweiler took charge of Barcelona and succeeded Michels, who injected the country's Dutch genes. Back then, like Flick, he vowed to bring German style to Barcelona. But from the first day of coaching, Barcelona's number one star Cruyff and the German coach are incompatible. In the end, Barcelona's season was empty, and Weissweiler returned to Germany in embarrassment.

In the summer of 1981, Radke, who had succeeded Weissweiler at Borussia Mönchenchen, took charge of Barcelona. Although Ratke relied on stars such as Schuster, Simonson, and Rexage to win the 1981/82 European Cup Winners' Cup, Ratke signed Maradona for a record transfer fee in the summer of 1982.

Whether Flick's football philosophy is compatible with La Masia's system is also questionable, and it is questionable whether Barcelona's Yamal, Gavi, Pedri, Ferming and other fully Catalan newcomers, as well as the talented Brazilian centre-forward Roque, who is disliked by Xavi, will be able to be unleashed to his full potential by Flick.

After all, the only foreign coaches who have been successful at Barcelona since 1988 are the Dutch, from Cruyff, Van Gaal to Rijkaard, which also benefits from the inseparable philosophical connection between Dutch football and Barcelona. However, after Pep Guardiola's dream three dynasties, Barcelona only had two foreign coaches to take over, not only Argentine Martino, but even Dutchman Koeman could not achieve anything. What awaits Flick is not the Bayern Munich team he has been familiar with since his time as an assistant coach in the German national team. His biggest reliance is on the close relationship between his agent Zahavi and Laporta, which may prevent him from repeating the mistake of falling out with the management at Bayern.

However, compared with Bayern because of off-field interpersonal relationships, it is difficult to retire peacefully because of success, and the biggest test of coaching Barcelona comes from results. Flick mainly plays 4231 or 4141, with full coverage of the back as the fulcrum in front of the defensive line, wingbacks and wingers to achieve high pressing, and the central striker's core of the wide cross and attacking midfield forward are the main means of scoring. The few old acquaintances in the dressing room are all at the end of their careers, Lewandowski's form has declined significantly, and Barcelona does not have the high-quality wide attackers that Bayern was sitting on at that time. Flick wants Osimhen, but let's not forget how Xavi was "convicted for his words", and the budget of more than 100 million euros is not a small amount for Barcelona today.

The hiring of Flick, who is not familiar with Barcelona football, is a cost-effective "gamble" for Laporta from an economic point of view. Flick can rely on his connections in Germany to poach some low-cost and high-energy German players, but whether he can spark with the La Masia system and form a 1+1>2 effect, at least for now, can only wait for time to verify with a cautious wait-and-see attitude.

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