Hans Dieter-Flick is back to being seen as one of the great tacticians of his time. FC Barcelona are firing on all cylinders, sweeping opponents aside at the start of the season in La Liga and making most forget about Flick’s relatively disappointing spell as coach of the German national team. But it’s all down to the tactics and to the manager’s ability to work with his players on a daily basis.
This is why I am looking at what Flick has got right since signing on as manager of FC Barcelona: his distinctive tactics and the challenges he may face further down the road.
Hansi Flick’s Career So Far
Hansi Flick is a football man through and through. But he has not always been in the spotlight. This is why when he was announced as manager of Bayern Munchen, Germany’s premier football team, many questioned the Bavarians’ decision.
Flick knew the Allianz Arena inside out, however. Not only had he been the Assistant Manager for Joachim Löw’s Germany team during a highly successful period. Flick played more than 100 matches as a player for Bayern.
He managed Bayern for less than two years, but the Bavarians were highly impressive. Flick won two Bundesliga titles for Bayern and the Champions League. On the way to the UCL title, Bayern hammered Barcelona 2-8 at the Camp Nou.
Flick accepted the Germany job next but couldn’t stop the decline of a squad that was either ageing or not up to the level of previous glories.
Joining FC Barcelona after a sabbatical year seemed just as surprising, but it has yielded good results so far. There’s a sense of excitement about just what this Barca side, so tried and tested in recent years, can achieve.
Flick’s Football Philosophy
Hansi Flick has tried to implement the same approach with all the teams he has managed. Ideally, the teams play direct, vertical football.
This doesn’t mean that the players take unnecessary risks or that being wasteful in possession is tolerated. No, players need to build from the back and have great control over the ball and over their passing.
This has the potential to have a great effect on FC Barcelona. The team’s young players learn ball control above everything else in La Masia. This is true of the central defenders just as much as the forwards.
Flick is very optimistic about the rise of players like Casado, Balde, Cubarsi or Bernal. However, the incredible success of Lamine Yamal has proven that with the right management and backing, these players can really go far.
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Formations Used by Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick uses a highly attacking 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. It’s a bold statement of intent and not one that would work as well as it has so far if Flick didn’t also have Barca’s squad on board with this strategy.
It should also be noted that this is not the formation that Flick used while at Bayern. Indeed, back in 2019, the German opted for a more straightforward 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1.
But Flick recognizes Barcelona’s attacking DNA and is looking to work with the squad he has at his disposal. Much has been made about Barcelona’s financial issues and problems in the transfer market. Flick looks happy to promote La Masia, as well as graduates and veteran players.
Still, this will be a long season, and the 4-2-3-1 formation employed by most high-profile teams will suit Barca. This is why Flick has attempted to play with two pivot midfielders on occasion, usually Pedri and 17-year-old Marc Bernal (or Marc Casado).
The 4-2-3-1 formation was used largely throughout the match against Girona, where Barcelona won conclusively and where the formation allowed Flick’s team to attack through the middle, launch numerous through balls, and create many goal-scoring opportunities.
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FC Barcelona in Attack
The way that FC Barcelona build up during the 2024/25 season depends a lot on how the opposition responds to their midfielders. If the opponents allow Barca to build through the aforementioned double pivot, then Flick is happy to use a 4-2-3-1 formation and bring his full-backs in more attacking situations.
However, if the opponents bring one of their full-backs and press the midfield, Flick has to find solutions. Remember that during the Summer, the Germans lost the use of Frenkie de Jong (injured) and Ilkay Gundogan (transferred to Manchester City in order to save funds).
Against Girona and other opponents, Flick bypassed the aggressive pressing by asking for more fluidity from his central midfielders. Pedri, Dani Olmo and Rafinha, especially, can swap roles or move deeper or wider to assist the fullbacks looking to build from the back.
A similar swap of roles happens in possession between the wingers and fullbacks. We have often seen Lamine Yamal drop deeper while Jules Kounde makes a run beside him or even moves inside. This movement allowed Olmo to find pockets of space and draw the central defender who was looking to mark him.
Finally, Flick knows how to get the best out of an ageing but still capable Robert Lewandowski. The striker isn’t asked to make runs in behind the defenders as often as in the past. Instead, he will often drop deeper as well, leaving the defender shaving to make a choice of whether to follow him or mark the zone against the threat posed by Rafinha or Yamal.
Do all of these complex calculations work? At the moment, yes, in spectacular fashion. Barcelona is not only the leader in La Liga but has outscored rival Real and Atletico Madrid by wide margins. The highlight was a 7-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid.
It’s hard to say if this is sustainable, but the fact that Flick is able to do this with players that the club either wanted to move on or reserves for the more famous injured players is remarkable.
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FC Barcelona in Defense
Hansi Flick is turning FC Barcelona into a highly modern team by working with the principles that were first introduced by the likes of Johann Cruyff while managing the Catalans.
Aggressive pressing is an important part of this. It’s already impressive to see how young players already seem to understand exactly what their role is in this setup.
For example, Barca may switch to a 4-2-3-1 out of possession. One advanced player will put pressure on the first pass from the keeper. This will, however, rarely be Lewandowski but Rafinha or Yamal. When one presses, the other shadows the full-back that is closest to the pass. This usually forces the opponents to play the ball long.
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FC Barcelona lines up in a four-man defence under Flick. But, ideally, the ball has to be won back before the defender even gets involved. The two wingers, as mentioned, alternate between curving their runs in the path of the opposition’s central defender, who initiates the build-up phase.
This also means that the striker and attacking midfielder, usually Lewandowski and Olmo, press the opposition’s central midfielders. If the opposition adds a third man, Flick will sacrifice another defensive midfielder for the press.
It is a risky approach, of course, with teams able to get at FC Barcelona by exploiting the space that’s left open down the flanks during the pressing phase.
Thus far, players like Marc Casado, Pau Cubarsi, and veteran Inigo Martinez have shown that they are capable of playing with this kind of physicality and recycling possessions afterwards.
What’s Next for Flick and FC Barcelona?
The season has started wonderfully for Flick and for FC Barcelona. Regardless of what happens next, there are numerous positives to draw from these first few months.
Flick is able to work within the Barcelona philosophy. He has been able to squad problems that previous manager, Xavi, believed to be insurmountable. Finally, Flick has made Barca an early La Liga challenger.
But this approach is a risky one, and Barcelona’s squad depth is not great. In a long season and against tougher opposition, the team may struggle.
But with enough time and resources, there is no reason why Flick won’t thrive in Spain. He is one of the few managers with the knowledge and courage to give Barcelona’s supporters what they want.
