Flick’s firm coaching style at Barcelona comes to the fore in his handling of issue with midfielder

Barcelona’s recent performances against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have indicated that the team is not here to muck around.

There has been considerable improvement in mentality while each and every player has come to the fore, whenever required.

This speaks volumes of Hansi Flick and his coaching methods, which have been highly successful at Barcelona so far.

In fact, the German’s balanced and ability to assert authority without ruffling feathers – even when talking to star players – has been received well in the dressing room.

Flick’s message to de Jong before Sevilla clash

This is according to Catalunya Radio, which has provided insights to anecdotal evidence of Flick’s balanced authority within the Barcelona dressing room.

The incident took place just before the Sevilla game. Ahead of the game, Flick approached the medical staff for an update on Frenkie de Jong’s fitness, given the player’s recent recovery from a minor knock.

Flick received assurance that de Jong was fully fit to play. However, when Flick informed the player of his starting role, the Dutchman hesitated, suggesting that he’d be ready to play ‘only 20 minutes’.

This did not go well with Flick, who responded, “If you are ready for 20 minutes, you are ready from scratch.”

De Jong ended up not participating in the Sevilla game, with Flick deeming him unfit to feature against Los Nervionenses.

Rather than creating tension, Flick’s direct approach was met with full acceptance. In fact, the Dutchman repaid Flick’s faith with an impactful performance against Real Madrid last weekend.

The player is now feeling more confident than ever as Barcelona gear up for the Catalan derby this weekend.

Nevertheless, this entire incident was enough to highlight how Flick has earned the respect of the dressing room with his calm yet assertive approach.