Putting an end to days of speculation, Barcelona have finally officiated the appointment of Hansi Flick.
The German tactician has signed a two-year contract with the Catalan outfit and will replace Xavi Hernandez at the end of the season.
Flick’s first words as Barcelona manager
In a short video message released by the club, Flick expressed his eagerness to get down to business: “I really want to start working for this incredible club. Since I arrived, I have seen that everyone loves this club and does everything possible for its success.”
It was reported in the past that Flick was deeply eager to take the Barcelona job. He was close to missing out when Barça reinstated their confidence in Xavi.
But an unprecedented turn of events saw the Barcelona bosses eventually lose trust in Xavi, ultimately leading to Flick’s arrival at Camp Nou.
Flick, though, reiterated that his version of Barcelona will continue to play possession football. “My style of play? I like to have possession of the ball and prefer an offensive way of playing. These are the aspects that I like and we are going to work for it,” he said.
Flick has a proven track record of playing attractive, attacking football with emphasis on efficiency in front of goal. The presence of star striker Robert Lewandowski, to that end, could prove to be a pivotal factor.
However, the German is particularly looking forward to working with Barcelona’s youth players.
“Barça have one of the best youth teams in the world. In the first team there is a good mix between experienced players and talented young players,” he said.
Talking about improving the squad, the German stressed the importance of working closely with President Joan Laporta and Sporting Director Deco.
“I think we have to work to be able to improve. This is our work together with Deco and President Laporta. It is important to work as a team. We have to work together on this aspect. We have to focus on this task and I’m happy to do it with these people,” he said.
Nevertheless, Flick concluded his message with a stirring call to arms for the fans: “I really want to start this journey with you. Your support is very important and together we can achieve many things with this incredible team. Visca Barça!”
“I won some titles with Bayern Munich and I would like to follow this path in Barcelona. We can achieve many things together, this is the most important thing,” he added.
