“I’ll substitute anyone who does it” – Hansi Flick’s brutal warning to Barcelona players in El Clasico

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is earning no shortage of plaudits, guiding the Catalan giants to the top of the table, and most recently to victories over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Beyond the results themselves, the manner has astonished fans around the world, with a high line that continues to catch attacks off guard.

Flick has challenged his playes to be daring with their pressure and with the defensive line, and have caught opposition offside more than double the amount of any other team, collecting 77 free-kicks as a result. Many thought that Flick might soften that approach during El Clasico to deal with the pace of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior. If anything, it was the opposite.

As per MD, Flick made the offside line one of the key elements of his half-time team talk. The German coach asked his side to carry out almost the exact same game plan, and to continue with their high line. “Anyone who drops back a meter, I’ll substitute them,” he warned his players.

Queen. @FCBarcelona ⭐ pic.twitter.com/X1D73h4t5R

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) October 31, 2024

The one change he did make, which was also lauded, was introducing Frenkie de Jong at the break for Fermin Lopez. The idea was to seek more control. Originally, the inclusion of Fermin was aimed at pressuring Real Madrid as high as possible, but with the Dutchman deeper and Pedri further forward, Barcelona were able to control the game better, and monopolise the possession of the ball, which was Flick’s desire.

In contrast to their clash against Bayern Munich, where the Bavarians had 60% of the ball, in El Clasico it was Barcelona who had 59% of possession. Undoubtedly the Blaugrana looked more solid, and more like they were playing the game they wanted to in the second period. Los Blancos had slightly the better of the first half, even if they could not make it pay, but the Blaugrana dominated the second.