On Thursday, Barcelona president Joan Laporta attended the Cruyff Foundation’s Open Day. During the event, he took the opportunity to address the media on a number of topics – one of these was Hansi Flick.
Laporta expressed his delight at Flick’s tenure so far, although his comments have been perceived by Relevo as a sly dig at previous head coach Xavi Hernandez, who was sacked at the end of the last season to make way for Flick’s arrival.
“Hansi knows that the best times have been when we have had many players from the academy reinforced with players of the level that we have signed. He is doing very well. He has no excuses in the sense that he does not look for excuses. The injured players are an inconvenience, he overcomes it well, now the important ones are recovering, such as Frenkie de Jong, who has already played, as well as Olmo, Fermin, Gavi…”
It’s not the first time that Laporta has appeared to throw a “dart” in Xavi’s direction, since the Barcelona legend was relieved of his duties. Flick may be outdoing him so far, but there is still a long way to go in the season.
While I wished Xavi well and his love for the club is undeniable, it’s clear that he wasn’t ready to take charge. Too many emotions got in the way of him clearly seeing the position and what it requires.
I was a big proponent of Hansi Flick’s appointment when it was revealed that he was a candidate, and he’s made it abundantly clear that he’s more prepared and capable of running a club of Barca’s size and importance than Xavi was.