Barcelona has named Hanji Flick as its new head coach after parting ways with club legend Xavi Hernandez.
“Hanji Flick has signed an agreement with Barcelona to take charge of the men’s first team until June 30, 2026,” the club announced on its official website on Monday.
Barcelona had originally planned to keep Xavi Hernandez at the helm next season, but reversed their decision less than a month later, causing a stir.
Xavi, a Barcelona and Spanish soccer legend, announced his resignation in January, citing poor results. He later changed his mind and withdrew his resignation after Barcelona convinced him to stay on as the club’s results improved.
However, about three weeks later, Barcelona decided on a whim to sack Xavi. They officially announced on April 24 that Xavi would be leaving the club at the end of the 2023-24 season.
It’s rare to find a soccer club in the world that would take matters into their own hands and fire someone after they’ve asked to leave. Xavi’s comments were cited as the reason for the sudden change of heart by Barcelona president Juan Laporta.
According to Spain’s RAC1, Xavi said in a press conference ahead of the Almeria game on March 15 that “it will be difficult to compete with Real in La Liga next season and with the big European clubs in the Champions League,” which drew the ire of Laporta.
“Xavi’s comments had nothing to do with the triumphalist narrative he told Laporta at the time of his appointment,” the outlet explains, “and it became a big problem because he said that the club had made a huge effort to sign important players and that he hadn’t benefited from it.”
After the decision to sack Xavi, Barcelona immediately went on the hunt for a new coach, and their choice was Hanji Flick, who was in charge of the German national team until last September.
Flick took over as Bayern Munich’s acting head 카지노 coach during the 2019-20 season, where he led the club to a triple treble (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and UEFA Champions League) in a remarkable leadership performance. He was named UEFA Coach of the Year for his tremendous achievements and quickly became a world-class manager.
Building on his leadership in Munich, Flick succeeded Joachim Löw as head coach of the German national team in July 2021. He lived up to expectations with a 10-5-1 record in 16 games leading up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, but the team failed to advance to the round of 16 after going 1-1-1 in the all-important group stage.
After a disappointing World Cup, Flick’s side struggled to bounce back. Since the start of 2023, they have won just one of their six matches, a 2-0 victory over Peru in March, the first of a back-to-back A-Match series. In the five games since, they have drawn one and lost four.
In the end, it was the result of a friendly against Japan at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, Germany, last September that decided Flick’s future. The Germans lost 1-4 to the Japanese, despite playing at home.
With Germany hosting the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship next month, a poor A-match performance was unacceptable, and Flick was dismissed from his position as head coach of the German national team after the disastrous loss to Japan.
After taking a break from the national team, Flick received interest from several big clubs, including his hometown club Bayern Munich, before deciding to return to the field to take over at Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona.
“We have chosen a man known for his high-pressure, intense and daring style of play,” said Barcelona, “He has brought great success to his club and 바카라사이트 international career, winning titles in almost every competition that can be won in the world of soccer.”
Barcelona also posted a video on the club’s social media, saying “This is our moment. Flick is here,” the club posted a video on social media. In the video, Flick says in Spanish: “Cules, this is our moment. Let’s go to Barcelona (Força Barça)!” he said in Spanish.
At the same time as Flick’s appointment, Barcelona also announced that it had officially terminated Xavi’s contract.
“The club and Xavi Hernandez have agreed to terminate his contract with the club, which was valid until the 2024-25 season,” the club said in a statement. “The club thanks Xavi and his staff for their commitment, generosity and the way they have behaved during the process. We wish them the best of luck for the future.”
Despite the unprecedented dismissal process, Xavi said he will continue to support Barcelona despite the club’s treatment of him.
“I respect the president’s decision to suspend me, it’s his decision,” Xavi said. “I will always remain a Barcelona fan and support the club. I will always remain a Barcelona fan and support the club,” he said.
“I want to thank the fans for their support and affection, they have always been on my side and have always given me the same love in my football career. From Sunday, I will return to Barcelona as another fan, either at the Olympic Stadium or at the new Camp Nou, which will open in a few months,” he said.
