Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was enjoying a charmed start to life in Catalonia, winning all five of his first fixtures, but was quickly brought down to earth on Thursday night with a disappointing defeat to AS Monaco. It also brought about the first signs of frustration from the German coach.
Insider account Portera de Nunez detailed on Friday that Flick for the first time was publicly seen to lose his temper after their loss. After the game, Flick was told by press liaison officer Sergi Nogueras that he had two flash interviews to carry out after the match at the Stade Louis II, but ended up having to do two more, which he only found out after finishing the second.
Al señorito Flick se le vio ayer por 1a vez cabreado. Y no poco… con Sergi Nogueras, de prensa.
Le dijeron que tenía 2 'flash interview' al acabar partido y al acabar el 2o tenía 2 más esperando. Se mosqueó, aunque atendió con su mejor cara a los 2 periodistas.
— La portera de Núñez (@porteranunez) September 20, 2024
The Barcelona coach was irritated and let Nogueras know about it, but then regained his composure to speak to the press, during which no sign of his annoyance was notable.
Marc-André ter Stegen has turned off comments below his Iatest Instagram post: pic.twitter.com/tcOlIxHK7C
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 20, 2024
It is a reminder of the stress a Barcelona manager is under, and also a sign of the high standards that Flick holds everyone around him too. The fact he was then able to bring his emotions in check is a good sign, as that was one of the issues that dogged Xavi Hernandez last year – although in this case it is the first setback Flick has had to deal with, injuries aside.