Hansi Flick showcases his ability to change games from the Barcelona bench | OneFootball

Since his arrival at FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick has shown some very distinctive management characteristics. For instance, his emphasis on punctuality is already well known, while he also demands the highest level in terms of intensity from his players.

His preferences for the team on the pitch are also quite clear, and in the first half of the season, one of the most notable of his characteristics in this regard was his reluctance to change his team when matches were going well.

The German was not shy to give young players some minutes in matches where they already had a secure foothold on the game, or to allow some players to freshen themselves with a rest. However, he did not radically alter his team’s setup in general during matches.

But this seems to have changed lately, as SPORT reports that Flick is now more willing to introduce radical changes in the team during matches. This change is perhaps the most conspicuously highlighted by two recent games, one against Benfica in the UEFA Champions League and the other against Alaves in La Liga.

In both of these games, Flick’s changes were able to provide his side with a win. Things were particularly bad in the game against Benfica, as Barcelona found themselves down to a 4-2 scoreline at one point.

In this match, the German opted to change the formation of his team, shifting to a 3-4-3 setup, and brought in Frenkie, Fermin, Eric, and Torres for Casado, Gavi, Kounde, and Balde. These moves paid off in the end as the Blaugranes emerged as 5-4 victors.

Things were not as desperate in last week’s match against Alaves when half-time approached without any goals on the scoreboard. In that game, Flick decided to make changes during the break, something quite unusual for him, as he brought in Eric and Frenkie to improve ball handling. Both these players ultimately helped their team get a 1-0 win.

Thus, while he is usually not too keen to change a winning setup, Flick proved in these two matches that he can change games with his substitutions when things go wrong.