Barcelona under the leadership of coach Hansi Flick is “returning to earth”, they do not show much improvement compared to Xavi’s time in La Liga.
Flick is not better than Xavi.
Spanish newspaper SPORT reports that Flick’s Barcelona have the same 38 points as Xavi’s last season in La Liga after the first 18 games. The difference this season is that Barcelona is still at the top of the table with this number of points, while last season they were fourth, behind Real Madrid, Girona and Atletico Madrid.
However, Barcelona have improved. Indeed, the Catalans have scored 50 goals and conceded 20 in La Liga so far. Last season, the Nou Camp side scored 34 goals and conceded 21 in their first 18 games.
On the other hand, Barcelona’s best La Liga season under coach Xavi was the 2022/23 campaign. If compared to that season, the former Spain midfielder’s achievements are certainly better than what coach Flick has achieved so far this season.
In that campaign, Barcelona, coached by Xavi, topped the La Liga standings with 47 points after 18 games. Real Madrid finished second with 44 points and Real Sociedad third with 28 points. The Catalans won the La Liga title that season, 10 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.
Beware of “losing both the lead and the net”
Flick’s tenure at Barcelona has started impressively, with successive victories over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid helping the Catalans emerge as serious contenders for the La Liga and Champions League titles at the start of the season.
In La Liga, Barcelona once had a 9-point lead over the chasing pack and seemed to be “alone” in the race for the championship. However, continuous missteps have caused coach Flick’s team to lose all their advantage.
The Catalan team has only won 1, drawn 2 and lost 3 in the last 6 rounds. Now, they have been caught up by Atletico Madrid in points and are only 1 point ahead of Real Madrid. Remember that both Madrid rivals still have 1 match in hand.
In the Champions League, Barcelona currently has 15 points and is second in the 36-team rankings. Coach Flick’s team is almost certain to secure a place in the top 8, thereby gaining the right to go straight to the round of 16. However, the German strategist’s ambition to bring Barcelona to the top of Europe for the first time since 2015 still has a long way to go and many challenges.
At this point, it is probably too early to predict whether Flick’s first season at Barcelona will be a success or a failure. The Catalan team will have an important match against Atletico Madrid in La Liga to close out 2024. After that, a very difficult January awaits the Nou Camp team, which will have to compete on many fronts, including the Spanish Super Cup, the Spanish King’s Cup, the Champions League, and La Liga.
