Barcelona could not be happier with Hansi Flick so far, following an outstanding start to the season, with their win over Real Madrid the cherry on top. However it is not so long ago that he was regarded as a somewhat risky appointment.
One of a number of names linked with the job when Xavi Hernandez announced he would be leaving in January, the likes of Sergio Conceicao, Rafael Marquez, Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto de Zerbi were underlined as other potential options.
While Barcelona only seriously considered Marquez before appointing Flick, that is not to say that the Catalan giants could not benefit from their thinking. Former AC Milan defender Filippo Galli has revealed on Cadena SER (via Sport) that Flick went to visit de Zerbi at Brighton and Hove Albion on two occasions to watch his training sessions in action.
He also remarked on the similarities between Arrigo Sacchi’s Milan, standing out for their high offside line, noting that with them, the iconic manager constantly stopped their training sessions to correct their positioning.
It was the common belief that Real Madrid and Bayern Munich would exploit that line, but to Flick’s credit, the well-drilled line paid dividends for Blaugrana. De Zerbi was regarded as a popular choice for Barcelona early in the year, with Pep Guardiola having supposedly annointed him as a strong successor for Xavi Hernandez.