Hansi Flick: The architect of Barcelona’s domestic treble triumph | OneFootball

A treble!

A domestic treble at that, not quite the set of three the team worked so incredibly hard for (still unable to move past that hurdle), but in all honesty, it counts the same, means a lot more and with perspective it is that much more impressive.

Here comes in Hansi Flick.

A lot has been said about him already, but now that his team has just obliterated opponents left, right and centre on their way to an immensely successful campaign, there’s just so much more about him and his managerial facets to praise.

Add into the mix the fact that this was his first season, thrown into an extremely volatile environment hot off a debacle hiring process and a hugely disappointing season, Flick has truly pulled off a miracle. And it’s worth exploring, how?

The tactics board

It is very safe to say Hansi Flick in his first year, revolutionized the Barcelona model for a very long time to come. More importantly with a similar pool of players, there has been a stellar result.

Since day one, the 60-year-old instilled his trademark style of ‘gegenpressing’ and vertically direct football into the squad and when the going got tough, he simply doubled down on it and look what he reaped.

There were doubts about the squad’s ability to implement this highly taxing system, given how his predecessor Xavi too tried to introduce this to the squad a year prior and the results were less than favourable, to say the least.

But with all due respect to the legend, Flick is a more disciplined coach with a proven greater understanding of the ideals he has set in this team. The result was an identity shift and a greater sense of playing the beautiful game as fans and neutrals realized.

The direct brand of football and the ability to ruthlessly transition from the back to the goal made Barcelona the most potent and devastating offensive team in the world. Cue in the much-debated high line and the defensive setup simply stirred more chaos for the opposition.

Flick has brought success back to Barcelona. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

From the formation to the style of play to the setup of the team, Flick’s Barcelona were indeed complex. But his coaching made it look admirably easy for the players and easily embarrassing for the opponents.

Falling on data to suffice – 150+ goals scored and over 170 offsides caught, these are some pretty hefty numbers and impressive enough to power the team to a domestic sweep.

Revolution.

A tale of two decisions

Flick’s first action was to double down on his tactical identity of his team. And it definitely paid off. But truth be told, the success of this season came down to two decisions that the coach took on his own accord that set the team up as a serious contender for the treble.

Earlier in the season Barcelona suffered a big loss at the very base of the eleven when captain and first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was ruled out for the majority of the season with a gruesome injury.

Substitute option Inaki Pena was called upon to deputize and it’s fair to say he did well to hold his own against the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

But here’s the dilemma, Barcelona’s incredible start to the season fizzed out by December when they completely blew a ten-point lead to over challengers Real Madrid and even slipped to third after their most heartbreaking loss up to that point against Atletico Madrid.

To stop the rot and the slump, with an eye on his first prize as Barcelona coach, Flick deployed emergency signing Wojciech Szczesny in goal during the Supercopa de España.

Flick put his faith in Szczesny at a crucial point. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

As it happened, post securing their first of their domestic treble in Riyadh with another humbling of their rivals in white, Szczesny became the preferred option in goal over Pena, which seemed to be harsh to the youngster at the time.

The benefits, however, were clear for all to see. Barcelona didn’t lose a single league game in 2025 in their run-up to the title and won all of their games barring one against Getafe, the first of the year.

Szczesny even put in some incredible performances such as his heroics versus Benfica in the Round of 16 of the Champions League to merit his manager’s decision.

In all essence, Flick’s gamble paid off massively. Szczesny initially seemed to be struggling to meet the demands of the high line and even his ball-playing ability was a question mark, but slowly and surely he grew into an assured figure at the back.

Speaking of decisions that paid off, a word about Flick’s tweak in midfield of pairing Frenkie de Jong with Pedri. Make no mistake, Marc Casado was doing great as a pivot partner for the magical Pedri, bringing a semblance of balance and solidity.

But the manager wanted more dynamism from his midfield and De Jong, unable to rediscover his form and rhythm post a lengthy injury, was soon starting games in place of the La Masia graduate.

A partnership that worked wonders. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Now looking back at the season, the Pedri-Frenkie pivot – initially metaphorised as a straw used to guard the door given both of their frailties in defence – thrived under Flick.

Pedri was already profiled aptly by the boss but it was Frenkie’s all-round game unlocked by Flick and his system that shone a spotlight on his coaching and understanding of his squad.

It was a call that was quickly justified and had clearly improved the team across both ends. The Dutchman was definitely more of a threat with the ball at his feet thanks to his ridiculous capacity to carry the ball deep into defences.

But it was his defensive acumen that really improved leaps and bounds this season, able to use his quality to cover large distances to track back timely to stop counter.

After what seemed to be a season of struggle and disappointment for the Dutchman, De Jong once again proved he is indispensable to the success of the club.

Overall, these two calls by Flick proved to be a masterstroke. There was visible and audible confusion when they were made but it showed Flick’s observant eye and his innate knowledge of the system he enforced, the profiling it needed or even the characters.

It even speaks of his leadership skills that such upheavals could have rubbed off weirdly on the squad, but from looking at the celebrations, both Casado and Pena looked happy to have played a part in the success of the team.

Flick Mentality

A challenge for the league title is a more ‘honest’ one, with consistency required across the entire season. However, none of the journeys to success will be without their hurdles.

Barcelona too suffered from stumbling blocks throughout their season. But the mentality the team showed thanks to the fortitude and resilience drilled into them by their leader in the dugout was remarkable.

Flick has turned Barcelona into mentality monsters. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Who could have imagined a Barcelona side trailing a resolute and dogged Inter Milan by two goals would go on and almost win the game? That too away from home.

Or let’s talk about the match that set them on their way to the league title, a resounding and battling win over Atletico away, where they scored four within 20 minutes to wrestle back the game and their destiny to win La Liga.

If there’s anything that Flick has done exceptionally well and beyond any spot of a doubt, is revamped the mental make-up of his young team.

It stems from their rigorous training regimes, physically extracting routines and quite frankly his entire philosophy to simply not stop mowing down their opponents no matter the scoreline or the depth of the pit they often found themselves in but manage to reel out rather emphatically.

It is also important to acknowledge the mentality monsters he created in the process. Pau Cubarsi is a silent yet fearless leader from the back. Lamine Yamal at only 17 carries his team on his back like no other.

Ferran Torres is already more of a shark than a shark ever was. Raphinha is very the soul of the team with his tireless running. Pedri too has combined his inexplicable brilliance in the middle of the park with a commitment to keep plugging away and chasing down yards.

Flick may have created a team full of burgeoning young stars, but look closer or probably when the chips are down or even when they trail by two goals, it is an even bolder Barcelona team that arises out of the ashes. And they are simply unstoppable.

Flick Ball: A wider influence

This may be very well to conclude, but there has been a very real yet intangible impact of Hansi Flick’s arrival on Barcelona as an institution.

Sure, he led the team to a complete sweep of the domestic cabinet and was just 140 seconds away from a shot at European glory but probably the biggest miracle he worked out was the restoration of universal belief in Barcelona’s special relationship with football.

Flick has brought joy back to Barcelona. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

His commitment to Flick-ball, a high-octane, full-throttle style of play rendered the most enjoyable Barcelona side in years if not outright the most beautiful team to witness in a decade or so.

It re-affirms what the Blaugrana stands for on the pitch. An institution committed to playing the game in the purest way possible, able to captivate the crowd with the ball at their feet.

Flick and his young guns have just brought back that joy of playing, watching and breathing football not just to the city or themselves but to the world.

For Barcelona, there has been no greater mission. In the words of Johan Cruyff, ‘Salir y Disfrutar’ – ‘go out and enjoy’ is not a quote to preserve but a belief to channel. It is precisely what separates the club from other teams and precisely what makes them ‘Mes que un Club’.

So, thank you Hansi Flick. Yes, to restore glory to the club. But to make the world fall in love with football again. For choosing Barcelona to make that happen.

And thankfully for them, you get to do it again next season.