As Barcelona gear up for a high-stakes UEFA Champions League , there’s a rising sense that this tie might hinge on extra than simply present type.
Whereas momentum actually favours the Catalan giants after their current in La Liga, the larger story lies in a single man on the touchline – Hansi Flick.
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Barcelona’s current win over Atletico bolstered the assumption throughout the squad and gave them a psychological benefit heading right into a knockout state of affairs the place margins are razor-thin.
Nevertheless, if there may be one issue that would actually tilt the steadiness, it’s Flick’s distinctive pedigree in knockout competitions.
Hansi Flick’s knockout document
Flick has constructed a repute as one of the dependable tacticians in the case of high-pressure elimination ties.
To place it in numbers, throughout his spells with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Flick has been concerned in 41 knockout ties, progressing in an astonishing 37 of them.
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That interprets to an elite success fee: simply 4 eliminations in whole, with solely two involving Barcelona.
Since taking cost of Barcelona, Flick has performed 18 knockout ties, advancing in 16 and falling brief solely twice.
Flick has an elite document in knockout competitions. (Picture by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Photos)
That 88% success fee rises to almost 90% when considered throughout his profession, establishing him as a specialist in these decisive encounters.
Barcelona journey
His journey with Barcelona in knockout codecs has been nothing in need of dominant.
From emphatic Copa del Rey wins to commanding performances within the Spanish Tremendous Cup, Flick has repeatedly proven his potential to arrange his aspect for do-or-die conditions.
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Victories over groups like Actual Madrid and Atletico Madrid in home competitions have solely strengthened that repute.
In Europe, too, Barcelona have thrived beneath his management. Medical performances towards sides like Benfica and Borussia Dortmund demonstrated tactical maturity and ruthless effectivity.
That mentioned, there have been setbacks. Eliminations towards Atlético Madrid in Copa del Rey this season and Inter Milan within the Champions League final season function reminders that knockout soccer stays unpredictable.
But, fairly than exposing weaknesses, these defeats have give much-needed expertise to a crew that continues to evolve beneath Flick.