Frustrated with his players, the coach felt the team had become complacent and noticed the drop in performance during the second half of the derby.
Football is fickle. If Raphinha’s shot had resulted in a goal instead of hitting the post in the 77th minute, these lines might not have been written. But results are what count, and in the blink of an eye, Barça went from hoping to return to winning ways at Balaídos to confirming their dip in form after a sensational start to the season. No matter how the match in Vigo ended, the reality is that Hansi Flick’s team lost its edge. The coach, aware of this for several days, confronted the squad immediately after the match against Celta.
The German feels something is going in the wrong direction, and he expressed this feeling in the Balaídos dressing room before returning to Barcelona. In summary, Hansi’s message was that this cannot continue. However, the diagnosis is multifaceted. Some issues are strictly tactical, others are mindset issues, and still others are about attitude.
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For Flick, the main problem lies in a lack of determination in the race for the match. In other words, the German coach thinks that the players relaxed, as if they believed they could continue to win without giving the best of themselves in every action. Hansi had already noticed during the derby against Espanyol that some players were holding back, but at the time he did not panic as he wanted to believe it was a result due to the score advantage.
Flick accepts performance errors but not those resulting from a lack of effort. Therefore, he rejected the idea of blaming Kounde for his mistake leading to the 1-2. He was already unhappy with the way things were going.
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The technical staff is also aware that the team has lost its sharpness. They have become too comfortable, especially with the ball and in their obligatory tasks like aggressive pressing. Flick has seen the team disorganized in recent games, running aimlessly at times.
Not mincing words with his players, Flick reiterated this Sunday that anyone who thinks this team has achieved anything is wrong. He said it with a serious and angry expression; even disappointed, because he thought he had made it clear that the trap of over-relaxation should not be considered at any time. The German demands an immediate response which must come against Brest. Half an hour of good football is not enough for Hansi; he wants a complete match without disconnections.
There are other factors Flick considers when explaining why his team isn’t performing like it did a month ago. On the one hand, rivals actually find ways to get around the high defense, punishing them more and better in space. On the other hand, focusing specifically on what happened in Vigo, the coach believes that there was a lack of maturity and personality to play the last minutes at 1-2 with long possessions. It should be noted that several players with little experience were playing in Primera RFEF last season.
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In addition, several other elements explain the decline in form of the Blaugrana. Individual errors arose in San Sebastián and Vigo, and it was costly. In Vigo, the players had just returned from their international obligations, and historically, the first match after the break has always been tricky.
Finally, and this is important, the staff recognizes that two other elements have diminished their brilliance. Lamine’s injury has left Barca lacking static imbalance. Additionally, the absence of Lamine or the inclusion of Gavi forced Flick to change the positions of several players. These changes have led to a loss of fluidity in the game. For example, Olmo offers much less on the wing than in the center.
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