Hansi Flick has Barcelona on cusp of return to European soccer elite
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Barcelona coach Hansi Flick giving instructions to his players during a training session.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
BERLIN – Barring a collapse at Borussia Dortmund on April 15, Hansi Flick has Barcelona on track for the Champions League semi-finals and a return to the European elite after a rocky decade.
A last-four placing, where Barca would likely be favourites to make the final, would represent the high-water mark for the Catalan giants in the post-Lionel Messi era.
Four points clear of Real Madrid in La Liga with seven games remaining, and also facing Los Blancos in the Copa del Rey final, Flick’s men are enjoying their best season since Messi’s departure in 2021 to Paris Saint-Germain.
Since beating Juventus in the 2015 Champions League final in Berlin, Barca have just once made it back to the semi-finals. That came in 2018-19, although the matchup is one they would rather forget.
In that tie, Barca became a footnote in the story of an incredible comeback from the title-bound Liverpool, letting a 3-0 first-leg win slip in a 4-0 loss at Anfield.
The following season, they were thumped 8-2 by the Flick-coached Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.
Barca did not make it back to the quarter-finals until 2023-24, when their 3-2 first-leg away lead over PSG was overturned in a 4-1 thumping at home.
This season, however, with Messi’s heir apparent Lamine Yamal firing alongside Raphina and veteran Robert Lewandowski, the team look back to their best, particularly against top opposition.
Besides their 4-0 first-leg win over Dortmund, Barca’s 4-1 victory over Bayern in the group stage showed how ruthless they can be. In two clashes with Real this season, Barcelona won 4-0 and 5-2.
This season has also been one of vindication for Flick.
Despite piloting Bayern to a six-trophy season, including the Champions League in 2019-20, his poor stint as Germany boss raised doubts about his ability.
Winning this season’s Champions League final, at Munich’s Allianz Arena no less, would show that the 60-year-old truly belongs among the elite.
“We’ve come this far, but we want to continue on this path,” he said. “I’m absolutely enjoying being able to work with my coaching staff and this team. We’ve got an incredible atmosphere in the side.”
Dortmund, meanwhile, may take inspiration from Liverpool’s comeback six years ago, but are under no illusions about the scale of the task.
Struggling to fight back into European contention in the Bundesliga, their 2-2 draw at Bayern over the weekend was a welcome response after the drubbing in Barcelona.
Sporting director Lars Ricken admitted that “we need the greatest miracle in the history of Borussia Dortmund” to get through to the semi-finals.
Ricken, a local product who was among the scorers on the club’s greatest night – the 1997 Champions League final win over Juventus – is no stranger to big European nights in black and yellow.
“We have to try to win, whether that’s enough to advance, I don’t know,” he added.
Calling himself “an optimist but a realist”, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said his side wanted to save face against Barca.
He added: “Our ambition is to win the game. Is it 1-0, 2-1? We are playing at home so we would like to give a gift to all our supporters.” AFP
