He is not used to hiding his emotions. When something upsets him, as happened in the last transfer market with the departure of Dro, he doesn’t hide it. Something similar happened in the summer, when Barcelona once again had problems registering their signings; Always protected in English – he knows how to speak Spanish, but prefers not to change languages - the Barça coach is frank in showing himself fed up and happy, also in sending messages. He does it when he glances at Real Madrid and when he takes the opportunity to point out Luis Enrique. In the case of the Asturian coach, in any case, without naming him. It wasn’t necessary.
Hansi Flick stretched all his answers. Without haste, he expanded, for example, to talk about the Metropolitano grass, Lamine Yamal and Koundé. It even seemed like he was looking to attack Madrid. “Ask Madrid,” he said with a smile as to whether Barcelona had had an affordable path in the Copa del Rey after beating Guadalajara (First Federation) and Albacete and Racing (Second Division). Albacete was precisely the team that eliminated Madrid. Flick, in any case, clarified that his intention was not to seek a media stir. “It doesn’t make sense,” he explained about his intention not to generate controversy against Madrid. “It only serves to lose energy and I don’t like it. It was a good response. You have to respect the Second Division teams too.”
Flick avoided loading the press room with dialectical fire against Madrid, but, on the other hand, he did have a dart in the direction of Paris. And he had it for a long time. “We coaches have a responsibility with all the players, not just with those on our team,” he said. Flick had been asked about Ronald Araujo’s interview with Sports Worldin which he spoke, for the first time, about his mental health problems. “I had been suffering from anxiety for a year and a half, which turned into depression, and I was playing like that,” confessed the Uruguayan centre-back.
The trigger for Araujo’s anguish, as explained in the Barcelona locker room, was Luis Enrique’s documentary You have no p** idea*. “Araujo is a player topbut he is the one who has the most problems with getting the ball out. Every time he receives the ball, we block a passing line and we are in,” Luis Enrique explained to his staff when preparing the Champions League quarterfinal match in 2024.
Luis Enrique’s words were a public statement that was difficult for Araujo to digest, especially in times when players no longer only suffer pressure from the public on the field, but also on social networks. “Ronald carried it deep inside. It hurt his soul. That video of Luis Enrique went viral,” explain the same sources from the Barça locker room. “They even wished death on my daughters,” the Uruguayan recalled in the same interview with Ferran Martínez in Sports World.
“We know the situation with Ronald. He has opened up and we have supported him with everything we could. Opening up like this means that you are strong. In football it is a lot about mentality and focusing on winning. One day I will talk about everything. It is important to be careful with the players. You have to think about it. You have to think beyond what is good only for you,” Flick concluded.
He is not used to silencing his emotions, but he is used to studying his messages. He never mentioned Luis Enrique. It wasn’t necessary.
