Hansi Flick has surprised everyone at Barça. He is not leading with the iron fist that was expected, but he knows how to get his message across players. He doesn't impose his orders; he convinces them.
Newspaper AS has summarized Hansi Flick's 10 virtues that set him apart from Xavi Hernández. They all explain the radical change experienced at Barça.
He doesn't need to get nervous or shout to assert himself, because he knows how to convey authority. He has everything under control, even the smallest details.
And the proof is that he's abolished fines, since he doesn't need them to be respected. And his players are already concerned about not letting him down.
These are the 10 commandments that Flick imposed on his team and were collected by newspaper AS:
1. Punctuality. They are All Appointed an Hour and a Half Before Training
Flick is the first to follow his rules. He's usually the first to arrive. Training starts at 11:00 and he wants everyone in the locker room at 09:30 and having breakfast at the Ciutat Esportiva.
2. Daily Weight Checkup
Flick has his players under strict control. Every day before training he weighs them and writes the data down, while the coaching staff assesses possible changes. He wants them all in good shape.
So far, there have been no cases of suspicious weight gain. The dental health of the entire staff is also monitored.
3. Mandatory Nutritional Habits
Flick makes his players eat together at the Ciutat Deportiva in a special buffet with a menu prepared by the club's nutritionist Silvia Tremoleda. Xavi recommended it, but it was not mandatory.
4. Match day Activation Session
The German coach calls his players together in the morning on match days to give them an activation sesion. Xavi tried it, but he ruled it out because the players complained. Some lineups have suffered last-minute changes due to the result of this session.
5. Focused on Match Days
No more showing up at Montjuïc two hours before the match. Flick has them all together at midday since he doesn't want any surprises due to traffic or any other cause.
6. Post-match Rest
No more late-night trips after matches and arriving in Barcelona at four in the morning.
If the match starts at 9:00 p.m. and the plane ride takes more than an hour and a half, the team stays overnight.
7. Long and Intense Workout
Flick takes physical preparation very seriously. The players train with a GPS under their arm that reports on their physical condition. After both pre-session and post-session preparation, the training lasts one and a half hours and the players spend five hours at the Ciutat Esportiva.
8. Economic Sanctions Repealed
No more fines. Flick believes that he works with professionals and not children and refuses to give fines for casual offenses. A very different thing is to have no rules, because indiscipline has consequences.
9. Limitation of Holidays
He isn't in favor of giving away holidays because, according to Flick, a day without work is a day lost. This explains why, except during the weeks of the international break, he doesn't usually give away more than one day off a week.
10. Professional Relationship with Players
No more being friends with the players under Flick's rule. Unlike Xavi, he didn't see any of them as teammates. He doesn't pretend to be a father, either. He wants to be seen as a coach, which is what he is.