Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has called on his players to react on multiple occasions since they lost to Real Sociedad, and yet have dropped points twice against Las Palmas and Celta Vigo. The German coach had a lengthy discussion with his charges on Monday before their training session as they prepare to travel to RCD Mallorca.
The Blaugrana have struggled to operate their high line in recent weeks, and Marca say that after Barcelona announced their press conference would be starting an hour later than usual, the reason became clear. Flick wanted to analyse the mistakes made in recent games before their session and debate how to address it in detail with his players in a direct and open manner.
A detail from the Las Palmas game that has gone unnoticed: when Frenkie de Jong came on, Raphinha remained the captain. @JoanPoquiEraso
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 2, 2024
After the team discussion, Flick held long talks with several individuals out on the training pitch too, the longest of which was with Robert Lewandowski. Supposedly, Lewandowski looked animated, and made various gesticulations with Flick. The Polish striker has recently been indirectly referenced by Flick as part of the rest of the forward line for their sloppy defensive work.
Flick has cut a calm figure since taking charge of the Blaugrana, but perhaps may be forced into breaking that demeanour in order to inspire a reaction out of his players. His risky offside line and high pressure has played dividends for most of the season, but questions about whether they can sustain that over the season are looming large.