By Mark Doyle
Barcelona clinched the La Liga title after Lamine Yamal’s wonder goal sent them on their way to a 2-0 win at Espanyol, Thursday, May 15.
Hansi Flick’s leaders struggled in the main but owe their celebrations to Yamal, who bent in a stunner with his left foot in the 53rd minute to win his side the league on their local rivals’ own turf.
Espanyol saw Leandro Cabrera sent off for throwing an elbow into Yamal’s stomach late on and their second-half pressure went unrewarded, Fermin Lopez smashing home a second after Yamal’s pass.
How Flick, Yamal, Others Dethroned Real Madrid To Become Kings Of Spain Again
The Catalans endured another summer – and season – of incessant off-field uncertainty to reclaim their crown in fine style.
It emerged in April that Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is responsible for a minor makeover at the club’s training ground, with the walls of the senior squad’s dressing room now adorned with motivational quotations from sporting icons such as Michael Jordan.
The news did not come as much of a surprise given Flick’s famed attention to detail. Jordan’s inclusion also felt particularly apt, as the basketball legend rather personifies Flick’s fearless footballing philosophy. Jordan was never afraid of failure; on the contrary, he embraced it as a tool of learning.
It was the American who also once stated, “Talent wins games – but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” This season’s Spanish title race has emphatically proven Jordan’s point…
‘ Not Good News’
Barcelona beat Espanyol 2-0 on Thursday to win La Liga with two games remaining, but nobody foresaw such a dominant campaign last summer.
After all, Madrid were coming off the back of a sensational season in which they had won not only La Liga, but also the Champions League.
Then, they went out and added Kylian Mbappe to a side that had just finished 10 points clear of Barca domestically.
“Speaking as a cule, it’s not good news,” Joan Laporta admitted at the time. However, the Blaugrana president also insisted, “I prefer our strategy of trusting in a project with players produced and made in La Masia.”
Of course, that strategy was partially born of necessity, given the Catalan club’s ongoing financial problems, but Barca had enjoyed plenty of previous success with homegrown heroes and the latest crop of academy graduates looked particularly promising.
The key, though, was finding the right man to harness their potential and, in that context, Flick has actually proven a far more significant – and successful – summer signing than Mbappe.
‘ Sergeant Flick’
It’s easy to forget just how much uncertainty there was surrounding Barcelona before the start of the season. Laporta had promised there would be no repeat of the player registration chaos that had blighted previous transfer windows – and yet Dani Olmo, their one major acquisition, missed the first rounds of La Liga as Barcelona were once again left scrambling around trying to find ways to balance their books before deadline day.
In the end, they were indebted to a very timely, long-term injury to Andreas Christensen for freeing up some wiggle room within their salary cap for Olmo.
Plenty of fans were also still upset with the disgraceful way in which former coach Xavi had been treated by Laporta & Co. before, during and after the decision had been taken to relieve him of his duties last May.
However, Flick wasted little time endearing himself to the supporters by embracing the local culture and carrying out his many media duties with a reassuring combination of calmness and composure.
Most importantly of all, though, the new boss quickly won over the players with his mix of warmth and authority.
“He does have that element of a sergeant about him,” midfielder Pedri admitted in an interview with El Mundo Deportivo , “but he’s as good as gold when he speaks with the players. He’s really close to the squad; someone who likes to talk with us. He also enjoys a joke, he’s not always as serious as he appears. He’s always on top of what we need and you appreciate that. When things have to be taken seriously, though, he does.”
‘ Work much harder than before’
Laporta made it clear to Flick before he took the job that the Barca squad had to be “better prepared physically” for the rigours of competing on four fronts.
Too often under Xavi, the Blaugrana had faded in the final quarter of games, which repeatedly cost them precious points in La Liga.
However, thanks to the fantastic work done by Flick and his crack team of strength and conditioning coaches, Barca attained a level of stamina that enabled them to continue pressing, hassling and harrying opponents right until the final whistle.
“We work much harder than before and you noticed it in matches,” said Pedri, who has benefited more than anyone else from the new fitness regiment. “The team doesn’t dip after the 70th or 80th minute, it maintains the same energy levels.”
Indeed, time and time again throughout the 2024-25 campaign, Barca came from behind to win games – despite a fixture list that Flick understandably found insane, particularly when his side were forced to play twice in the same week immediately after an international break.
Barca always kept going, though. Even after suffering a mentally and physically draining extra-time loss to Inter in the semi-finals of the Champions League, the Blaugrana somehow recovered from the concession of two goals inside the opening 15 minutes of the final Clasico of the season to beat Madrid 4-3 at Montjuic to effectively clinch the title.
17-Year-Old ‘Difference-Maker’
Crucially, Barca’s players never lost faith in Flick’s fearless brand of football. He asked them to play an incredibly high line, which is usually a terrifying prospect for defenders, but Barca’s back four relished the challenge.
There were times when it looked like a flawed approach, particularly during what Flick called a “sh*tty November”, when the Blaugrana threw away the early lead they’d built up in La Liga by dropping eight points in three games.
However, the ex-Germany boss was adamant that the risk would eventually prove worth the reward – and he was spot on in that regard.
Madrid tried four times in three different competitions to take full advantage of Barca’s adventurous approach – but not once did they manage to get the better of the Blaugrana, who haven’t lost in the league since December.
Of course, he was fortunate to have a tremendously talented group of young players willing to follow his every command. As Laporta predicted, having access to the most famous academy in world football was of great help to Flick given the lack of new arrivals last summer.
Marc Casado, Fermin Lopez and even the injury-hit Gavi have all started at least 10 league games this season, while Alejandro Balde and the fantastic Pau Cubarsi have been regulars in defence.
Lamine Yamal, though, is obviously the jewel of La Masia, the most talented teenager the game has ever seen.
Yamal is capable of doing incredible things with a football, but what really marks him out as a generational talent is that he’s capable of doing them at the most important moments in the most important games, like the massive come-from-behind win over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano on March 16 and Thursday’s title-securing win over Espanyol.
“To be a difference-maker at such a young age is really incredible,” Flick quite correctly stated. “Having him is key for us not only because of his quality, but he also presses high very well. He combines talent and pressure and that’s massive for us. He is outstanding.”
Of course, Yamal – who has a league-high 12 assists this season – is just one part of the most formidable forward line in world football.
Lethal Lewandowski & Relentless Raphinha
Robert Lewandowski has rolled back the years with his most prolific campaign since joining Barca, and the appointment of former Bayern boss Flick was obviously key in that regard.
“We are looking to get the ball into the box more quickly this season and, as a striker, that’s my zone, that’s where I want the ball,” the revitalised Pole said of Barca’s move away from Xavi’s patient, possession-obsessed approach to a more direct and much more intensive style of play.
As for Raphinha, he’s enjoyed a truly remarkable reversal of fortune. The Brazilian looked to be on his way out of Barcelona this time last year, having failed to fully convince following his 2022 transfer from Leeds United.
However, he’s now a legitimate contender to win this year’s Ballon d’Or after an incredible campaign in which he’s broken or equalled a number of records held by Lionel Messi – and even Cristiano Ronaldo – while at the same time leading by example every single time he’s worn the captain’s armband.
Again, Flick has been a key factor in Raphinha’s rise to the upper echelons of the game.
“Things weren’t working out,” the versatile winger told Globo . “I had a season that wasn’t up to par and I saw people asking me to leave last year, saying that I wasn’t good enough for the club, and every day there was news that I was leaving. I ended up considering it.
“But, after the Copa America, Hansi called me and told me to show up for training before making any decisions, that he wanted to talk and was counting on me. That was an important element in the decision to stay. When I talked to my wife, I told her that if he was a fair guy and saw the players’ performance in training, I would give him a week to like me as a player and that he wouldn’t regret it. I think it worked.” That’s putting it mildly!…
Combination Of Fairness & Ruthlessness
Flick didn’t just bring the best out of Lewandowski or Raphinha, either. He also managed to coax important contributions out of fringe players, with Ferran Torres the most obvious example. The Spain international could have grown frustrated by his place in the pecking order, below Yamal, Lewandowski and Raphinha, but he instead, played a pivotal part in Barca’s championship success, either off the bench or as a replacement for the recently injured Lewandowski.
Ferran, like so many of his team-mates, says the coach’s honesty and sense of fairness has been crucial to the creation of an ‘all for one, and one for all’ mentality among the players.
Flick clearly has his preferred starting line-up and some tough decisions have been made along the way. Dropping Inaki Pena and Casado certainly weren’t popular calls, but those moves have been more than justified by the subsequent performances of their replacements, Wojciech Szczesny and Frenkie De Jong, respectively.
At the end of the day, each and every player appreciates the fact that they always know where they stand with Flick, who has treated them all the same. Just look at the case of Jules Kounde, who has been dropped three times this season for tardiness despite being Barca’s first-choice right-back.
Flick has also never been afraid to substitute Lewandowski and Yamal or immediately remind them after minor displays of petulance that the team always comes first – an ethos which pretty much explains why Barca have finished first in La Liga this season.
Madrid may have boasted as much talent as Barcelona, but when it came to teamwork and intelligence, Flick and his players have been in a league of their own.
