Barcelona manager Hansi Flick revealed on Monday that his tenure at the Catalan club has transformed him, addressing his recent emotional outbursts on the eve of a Champions League clash with Olympiacos. The 60-year-old German coach acknowledged his behavior after being sent off during the team's 2-1 La Liga win over Girona on Saturday, where Ronald Araujo scored a stoppage-time winner.
Speaking at a press conference, Flick compared his current demeanor with his previous coaching role at Bayern Munich. “I’m not more nervous, maybe my emotions are not the same as before,” he stated. “I remember when I was coaching Bayern Munich, there were images of us winning 8-2 against Barca, and I never smiled with the eight goals. Now I have more emotions; this club have completely changed me. What I can say is that I love this club, I love Barcelona, I love the people here, it’s incredible, and I give my all for this club.” Flick did add, “To be honest, I don’t like these things when I see myself on TV, and I don’t like my grandchildren seeing their grandfather like that, so maybe I have to change my behaviour.”
Flick’s red card, issued for protesting refereeing decisions, means he is likely to be suspended for the first Clasico of the season on Saturday. While the club has appealed the decision, Flick acknowledged it is a "long shot." Regarding the incident, the coach said, “I had nothing against the referee, I wasn’t complaining at him but he saw it that way and I have to accept it.”
Barcelona is currently facing a spate of injuries to key attackers including Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Dani Olmo. With limited options for the match against Olympiacos, Flick confirmed that Marcus Rashford is an option to play centrally. “Marcus can be a number 9 or a number 11. When we think of him, we value the fact that he can play in more than one position,” Flick said. “He has given us a lot of positives and, of course, he can play as a centre forward.”
