Things are changing – Hansi Flick happy at Barcelona but admits he could suffer the same fate as Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick says he could suffer the same fate as Xabi Alonso despite a growing sense of family among the La Liga leaders.
Alonso left Real Madrid on Monday and was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa after a turbulent seven months at the Santiago Bernabéu.
His final match in charge came in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barca in Saudi Arabia, amid reports of unrest among the players, with several senior members of the Madrid squad appearing unconvinced by his methods.
The situation is calmer for Flick at the moment, especially after his victory in the Middle East, but the German knows that this can change very quickly.
Speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s Copa del Rey clash against Segunda Division leaders Racing Santander, he said: “At the end of the day you never know what will happen, things change. Here it can also happen, football depends on victories and even more so at big clubs.
“The feeling I had from my first hours here was very clear, that of working together and now it looks like a family,” said the president, “not just the players, the staff, the club, the executives, Deco, the fathers, the mothers, the brothers, the sisters, we are a big family and I really appreciate what we have built.
“In Saudi Arabia, I felt it and this situation is very good. I really enjoy this culture.”
He’s a great coach – Flick defends ex-Madrid boss Alonso
Asked to comment on Alonso’s departure, Flick added: “It’s part of football and we can’t change it. The club has to believe in you and in the team too. Those who make the decisions have to do it and Madrid did it that way, but that’s not my thing. The job of a coach is very complicated, we have a lot of responsibilities but at the end of the day it’s part of our job and we have to live with it.
“What I can say is that I have a good relationship with
Barcelona likes to get the upper hand on Real Madrid
Flick has lost just one of six competitive meetings with Real Madrid since joining Barcelona and admits it’s a record he’s happy with.
“You have to take advantage of these situations because everything changes very quickly and I’m very happy with the way things are going,” said the former Bayern Munich boss.
“The people of Barcelona are very kind to me and my team and I like to experience that. That’s why we try hard every day. We won the first title. [the Spanish Super Cup] but now we have to think about the next one. Tomorrow it will be an important match against a rival who beat Villarreal, third in our championship. When you’re a Barça player, you have to give everything on the pitch.
After their trip to Santander, Barcelona returns to the league with a match against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian this weekend. Barça are currently four points ahead of Madrid at the top of the table.
