Hansi Flick gives keys to Barcelona improvement – ‘We’re more united now’

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick believes his side are on an upward trajectory in recent weeks, following a return to the top of the Liga table. Despite defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League, Barcelona have reeled off victories over Athletic Club, Alaves, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis in domestic competition.

Speaking ahead of the match, Flick was keen to focus the minds of his team on the Champions League, where their hopes of securing a top eight spot are hanging in the balance. The consensus is that they will need maximum points from their remaining games, starting with Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday night.

“Champions League is different, so everything what was before didn’t count so. Eintracht has a a good team, avery young team with a lot of intensity, fast players also. And also they know how to to adapt their system, and for us we have to play on our highest level. So if if we do this, okay then we also we are able to to get three points. But it would be tough because they – okay the result wasn’t good, the last result from them – but I know also that they can hurt us a lot when we are ot playing on our best level.”

“Yes, it’s something special because I’ve been working a lot nearby (to Frankfurt), I also live nearby, and yes my grandson is an Eintracht fan. I think they do a great job. They have a young team, maybe they know they are missing cohesion, but due to their players, to the intensity they have in their team, their football, they also play very fast football, and they can always inflict damage to the opponent. Therefore, we have to stick to our plan, to our play. We have really to execute our plan and play on a very high level.”

‘It’s not always easy to maintain a high level’ – Flick

Flick went on to explain what he saw as the key factors in their struggles over recent months.

“Everyone knows what we’ve been through these last three months, with injured players, and we had to manage playing time. We only have six players in defence. In the final minutes, fatigue sets in, and it’s not always easy to maintain a high level. This morning I told them we’re doing well, more united. That’s what we want. They played at a different level than a month ago. Cubarsi is only 18 years old, and sometimes we forget that. Cubarsi completed 87 passes with 100% accuracy against Betis. I think that’s a La Liga record.”

‘Controlling the game is important’ – Flick

The style debate at Barcelona is rarely far away, and with their defensive output on the decline, Flick’s direct style was bound to come into question. The German coach was keen to side to control games more this season, having lost some of their domination last season.

“Controlling the game is very important. When you lose the ball, you have to change defensively. If we have confidence and believe we’re connected, we can control the game and the ball. You can see it in the analysis. Against Atletico, that’s how it was. They were a compact and well-connected unit. It’s something we take into account.”

Ronald Araújo has traveled this morning to Tel Aviv on a spiritual journey to disconnect and reconnect with himself. The Uruguayan will calmly explore churches and cultural spaces of great significance. The club fully support him. @monfortcarlos pic.twitter.com/6ejFyDTkni

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 9, 2025

Flick’s comments after the Chelsea defeat were met with surprise, claiming that what he saw in training gave him hope for the future. A statement he feels has been vindicated.

“What I can see when we’re doing something in the training, they try to show it also in the match and this is for me a really positive thing. So I’m happy at the moment about the quality we have, about the level we play, and this is positive. But of course we always want to improve, we always want to train for get better. I think we have also a lot of potential more.”

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