Does Barcelona need an evolution or a revolution under Hansi Flick?

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The new manager is bringing change to the Camp Nou

The arrival of Hansi Flick is already generating excitement among fans of the club.

Not just because he’s a new face, but because he appears to be something truly novel that Barcelona has never seen before.

Luis Enrique, Ernesto Valverde, Quique Setien, Ronald Koeman, Xavi. Although these managers are their own men, you never got the sense that anything truly different was going to happen on the field under their leadership.

Different personalities, but ultimately stewards of the club, and the Barcelona way, in the era of Messi, and the turbulent years that have followed in trying to move out of his shadow.

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Hansi Flick feels like a breath of fresh air.

Similar enough in his philosophy of football, but a serious figure with a mandate to shake things up.

Barcelona managers have not really run the show since Pep Guardiola. Luis Enrique came close, famously getting into tiffs with players like Jordi Alba behind the scenes, but never really challenging the status quo on the field.

If there’s one thing Barcelona needs right now, it’s a shock to the system. The players need to feel like they’re not safe. That they will be expected to take instruction, and be held accountable for their commitment to the mission at hand.

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From what we’ve heard from a few players already, they are ready to go. They have something to prove if they want a meaningful role on the team, or even a place at all.

I can’t remember the arrival of any other manager of late feeling like this.

With Xavi, he was tasked with being the motivational leader. Spirits were dangerously low, and they needed someone who would put his arm around their shoulder, and make them believe in their ability again.

Now, the belief is back. But to get back to the top, they will need to be pushed to the highest standards.

And that starts with believing in their leader. His ideas, and his follow through.

Now that the La Liga fixtures have been announced, the tenure of Hansi Flick has really begun.

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What will matter is not just his vision, but his ability to run a tight ship.

Barcelona has talent. But that talent will need to work hard on a consistent basis. You win the league, not just by beating Real Madrid, although those two fixtures will, without doubt, be vital, but more importantly, by being smart, steady, and disciplined throughout.

In other words, Leganes and Valladolid matter as much as Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.

In order to get there, the essential questions for Hansi Flick will center around how much change to bring to the tactics on the field, and the players he selects to do the job.

From what we know of Flick, and of course we should take this with a grain of salt, he likes to play with attacking full-backs.

That’s good news for Joao Cancelo and Alejandro Balde.

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We also know he likes to play with a double pivot. Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie de Jong, in theory, will be in the driver’s seat here. If he wants one of the two to be more defensive minded, maybe Andreas Christensen could be given a chance.

But on the topic of evolution or revolution, some of the attacking midfielders may have trouble finding a role, with only one true spot remaining on the field.

Could we see a midfield three of Frenkie, Christensen, and Gundogan? That actually sounds intriguing.

But what does that mean for the Spanish trio of Pedri, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez? Three very promising players, who may have trouble fitting into the Flick system.

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And wouldn’t that cause an uproar. Who is this German guy coming in and not giving a chance to our Spanish national heroes?

Throw in Ferran Torres, another stalwart of the national team, who almost certainly is on the outside looking in next season, and there could be a storyline brewing.

I think of the three, there will be a role for Pedri. Flick is going to need a pure playmaker, especially if he utilizes the 4-2-3-1 that made him famous.

The ones I’m more curious about is how he gets the most out of Gavi and Fermin.

Specifically, because we know Flick likes dynamic wingers. There likely won’t be a fourth midfielder on the field.

That’s good news for Lamine Yamal, who I’m betting on to be Flick’s superstar.

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I also think Raphinha could fit the style, especially because we expect Flick to implement perhaps the most direct style of play we’ve seen from Barcelona in over a decade.

In some ways, that even benefits Joao Felix, who could stand to benefit as much as anyone under the guidance of Flick, if the Portuguese national buys into the system. Creativity and fast transitions will be a requirement of the wingers. Which is why I really struggle to see a place for Ferran Torres at all, unless he plays through the middle.

Could Vitor Roque get a shot on the wing? I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

No one needs a big change more than Robert Lewandowski. Xavi’s Barca never really took him into consideration. Instead, it took him for granted. And in the end, they never got the best of the legendary center forward.

Flick will be focused on turning the striker’s fortunes around.

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To me evolution looks like working with the same group of the guys, no big sales or signings, and finding a way to shuffle things around, and get the most out of the resources at Flick’s disposal.

And I think that’s what the German was brought in to do.

But make no mistake, if it works, over time, it would be a paradigm shift for Barcelona.

The revolution, if it occurs, would be the manager himself.

It won’t occur overnight. But game by game. Building confidence in a new way of playing. Pragmatic, with the objective of winning paramount, but with the courage to attack and be protagonists.

But which players are given the call remains to be seen.

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We likely won’t see big moves on the market, and yet, it’s still hard to predict which players will make it into the starting eleven. Or what their roles will be.

That, to me, is exciting, and exactly what you’d hope for when making the consequential decision of changing managers.

Anything can happen.

The players have been warned.

Source - www.barcablaugranes.com