Hansi Flick was spotted looking dejected, and fairly close to tears, despite seeing his Barcelona team beat Alaves 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday at Camp Nou.
The Barcelona boss was comforted by Raphinha but footage of the incident made for difficult viewing and has left fans of the club wondering exactly what’s going on. Early reports claimed Flick is simply “worn out” after a tough week and is frustrated by his team’s recent performances.
More reports followed on Sunday as the media tried to figure out what’s going on. Mundo Deportivo have asked their sources at the club for an explanation and claim that Flick’s reaction was because he was annoyed at seeing Lamine Yamal not awarded a penalty in the first half and assistants José Ramón de la Fuente and Marcus Sorg sent off. The duo will now be banned from the touchline for games against Atletico and Betis.
Flick’s frustration and anger at the decisions is more than understandable but that doesn’t really explain why he looked so utterly sad when talking to Raphinha.
Diario Sport have another theory and report Flick was upset after watching his team “because he’s not at all convinced of the version that his team gave against Alavés despite the victory and he is clear that this Barça is not enough to win important titles.”
Flick had hoped for a reaction after the midweek defeat to Chelsea but saw his team give up an early goal instead. Although Barcelona recovered to win, the report adds Flick is aware that his team have suffered an “alarming physical and footballing decline” and that his team “must recover the spark and intensity” of last season.
Intensity is a word that keeps cropping up and is something that Raphinha discussed after the Alaves win, highlighting just how important it is for the whole team to function well.
If anyone knows what’s going on with Flick right now then it certainly seems to be Raphinha, and Barcelona will need the Brazilian to lead by example on Tuesday night. A win and a good performance against Atletico will hopefully have Flick feeling far happier about life at Barcelona.
