Flick named new Barcelona manager
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The Hansi Flick era at Barcelona has begun.
The German was officially appointed as Barcelona's new manager Wednesday after signing a two-year contract to replace Xavi, the club announced.
"By bringing Hansi Flick as coach, FC Barcelona have chosen a man well-known for his teams' high pressing, intense and daring style of play which has brought him great success at club level and international level, winning pretty much all there is to win in the world of football," Barca said in a statement.
Flick, who's been out of work since he was relieved of his duties as Germany head coach in September 2023, arrived in Barcelona on Tuesday to complete the final details of his agreement.
Years after he was considered a possible replacement for then-Barca boss Ronald Koeman in 2021, the Catalan club reportedly revived its interest in Flick in January after announcing Xavi would step down at the end of the season.
During a brief U-turn, it appeared Xavi would fulfill his Barcelona contract - which ran until 2025 - but the Spaniard was eventually sacked following a disagreement over the direction of the club.
That opened the door for renewed negotiations with Flick.
Flick worked under former Germany national team coach Joachim Low for several years before he enjoyed a successful spell as manager of Bayern Munich.
After winning the treble with Bayern, Flick moved on to coach Germany. However, domestic success didn't translate to the international stage, and Flick was fired less than a year before his struggling Germany team was set to host Euro 2024.
In Spain, the 59-year-old will be tasked with formulating a plan to help bridge the gap between Barcelona and rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona won La Liga in 2023 but struggled to defend their title this past season and finished 10 points behind a superior Real Madrid side that won the league with four games to play. Los Blancos will also feature in the final of this season's Champions League, a tournament Real Madrid have won five times in 10 years and will look to win again for a record-extending 15th time when they face Borussia Dortmund on June 1.
In recent years, financial constraints have hindered Barcelona's attempts to keep pace with Madrid. Xavi predicted before his departure that his successor would "have a difficult situation, with an adverse economic situation. It won't be easy at all."
"They will suffer and they will need patience because it's a really difficult job," Xavi said last week of the situation his successor would inherit.
"The only thing that can save them is winning, whether they have been part of the club or not."