Hansi Flick’s Barcelona enter 2025–26 with grand expectations, having claimed three domestic trophies during the German’s first season at the helm.
Flick succeeded a chaotic end to Xavi’s tenure in Catalonia, with the club’s Year 1 demands tempered by the tumult of the previous year, as well as Real Madrid’s splurge to finally acquire Kylian Mbappé.
Few would’ve projected what Barça eventually achieved in Flick’s debut campaign, as they strolled beyond the galacticos in the capital to claim La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa successes. The Blaugrana were just moments away from their first Champions League final appearance in a decade, too.
On the surface, Barça’s 2025–26 season got off to the perfect start. Mallorca are a tough out under Jagoba Arrasate, yet Flick’s men continued from where they left off in 2024–25, easing to a 3–0 victory away from home. Two early goals set the tone, and two Mallorca red cards allowed them to coast before Lamine Yamal curled home a third late on.
Instead of satisfying their manager, Barcelona’s display on Saturday evening left Flick fuming, with reports suggesting he gave his squad the ’hairdryer treatment’ in the dressing room post-match. But why was the German so angry?
