2.31 points per game 

©IMAGO

Hansi Flick has signed a new contract with Barcelona that will keep the German tactician at the club until the summer of 2027. In an announcement on Wednesday night, the LaLiga giants confirmed that the 60-year-old head coach had signed a one-year extension to the initial deal that was set to run until 2026. Which undoubtedly recommits Flick to the club, but also underlines how impressed Barcelona have been with their German tactician in his first season in Spanish football. 

“We suffered a bit in November and December, but we stayed calm and played at an incredible level. In the second half of the season, we deserved everything we achieved,” said Flick, whose team recently clinched the LaLiga title for only the second time in six seasons. “I’m happy to work with this team. I like staying in Barcelona and working at this amazing club, with these players. We have a great relationship and now we’re starting from scratch. We have to work hard, like we did before. We have to improve, and we will.”

Although Barcelona ultimately bowed out of the Champions League to Inter Milan, following a tantalising semi-final clash that saw the match go to extra time, Flick’s side made a clean sweep of domestic competitions, beating Real Madrid to not only the LaLiga title, but also beat them in the final of the SuperCopa and Copa del Rey. And when coupled with the two victories over their historic rivals in the league, it means that Flick’s Barcelona side won all four “El Clasico” clashes this season – matching a record for most wins in the fixture in a single season set back in 1983. 

Flick’s success in Spain has largely come from his ability to wed experience with Barcelona’s remarkable array of excellent, young players. Three of Flick’s most used players in all competitions this season are 22 years old or younger – Pedri (22), Pau Cubarsí (18) and Lamine Yamal (17) – and have spent much of the season working well alongside more experienced players, like Jules Koundé (26), Raphinha (28) and Robert Lewandowski (36). “I feel that they have a spirit to grow and to learn, and that’s what’s important to me,” said Flick upon signing his new deal with the club. “They want to be better every day, in every match. We work hard during the week and on the weekends, in the games, we can see if things are going well or if we need to go in another direction. That’s what I feel: that everyone is going in the same direction, that we want to get better step by step.”

To no great surprise, such success across the board has given Flick an impressive points-per-game average of 2.31 in all competitions for the club this season. That is not only the best among all managers in Spanish football’s top-flight this season, but also notably out-performs Carlo Ancelotti’s record at Madrid, which stands at just 2.13 points per game. That average also gives Flick a vastly better record than his predecessor Xavi, who departed the club last summer with a return of just 2.07 points per game for Barcelona in all competitions. In fact, Flick’s record with Barcelona is so impressive that the club has to go back to 2017 to find a head coach that can match or surpass the German’s success to date, with only Luis Enrique (2.41) boasting a better record.