Impressive statistics prove Hansi Flick’s influence is shaping Barcelona’s mentality | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s interactions with referees have been quite intriguing. Despite publicly defending match officials, particularly after the controversial incident involving Real Madrid, his own experiences have been far from favourable.

One of the most notable examples occurred against Real Betis, where Flick was handed a two-match suspension.

The punishment felt excessively harsh, especially considering he had barely addressed the referee in a manner that warranted such a reaction. The decision left Flick with no choice but to accept it and move forward, learning from the incident.

Flick is setting an example

Since that card, the Barcelona manager has been extremely cautious, ensuring he does not give referees any reason to misunderstand his actions or words.

Flick is highly conscious of setting the right example for his players, consistently reminding them not to engage in unnecessary protests.

This, across all competitions, Barcelona’s squad—including the coaching staff—has accumulated six red cards and 60 yellow cards.

Hansi Flick has kept his player under control. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

While the number of dismissals may seem high, it is important to note that only Flick’s sending-off against Real Betis resulted from a dispute with the referee.

The rest of the red cards were issued for fouls committed during gameplay, making them part of the natural course of a competitive match.

What about the yellow cards?

Looking at the statistics, Barcelona have played 40 official matches so far, and the 60 yellow cards amount to an average of just 1.5 per game, which is relatively low.

Out of these, only ten were awarded for protests directed at referees, meaning that dissent has not been a major issue within the squad.

Among the players, Raphinha is the only one who has received two yellow cards for arguing with referees. Other players who have received a single caution for dissent include Pau Victor, Pedri, Inaki Pena, Frenkie de Jong, Inigo Martinez, as well as Alejandro Balde and Marc Casado.

Barcelona’s overall discipline record remains strong. The relatively low number of cards also reflects in the fact that, at this stage of the season, no player has had to sit out due to yellow card accumulation.

In La Liga, Gavi is the only player who has collected four yellow cards so far, while Raphinha, Pau Cubarsi, Martinez, and Fermin Lopez have each received three.