Two premieres, two victories: Flick maintains his perfect record in his LaLiga debut

Since his arrival at Camp Barça in the summer of 2023, Hansi Flick has only brought joy to the fans of FC Barcelona. Thus, the German coach, after the victory of the Blaugrana team this Saturday (August 16) for the first match of the 2025/26 season against RCD Mallorca, achieved his second debut winning in LaLiga.

The team led by the German thrashed the 'vermillion' with a resounding 0-3 at Son Moix, in a match marked by the refereeing decisions, but above all by the reaffirmation that the Barcelona team is one of the best teams in the world today.

It should be noted that Barça also opened the 2024/25 season winning. On that occasion, the Blaugrana team defeated Valencia CF 1-2 at Mestalla. Now, Flick's team begins the defense of the title won last season.

Xavi did not shine in his league debuts like Flick

The reality for each of the technical directors who have managed Barcelona is different. A clear example of this is Xavi Hernández, who was there before the arrival of Hansi and experienced very different scenarios from the former Bayern Munich coach.

In this context, the Terrassa native was in charge of Barça from matchday 1 in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons; since he arrived at the Blaugrana bench in 2021/22, but the team had already played several matches under the orders of the Dutchman Ronald Koeman, who ended up being fired to call him.

Xavi faced the beginnings of the seasons that he did manage completely, that is, the 22/23 with a 0-0 draw on the scoreboard against Rayo Vallecano, while in the following the debut was against Getafe, also ending 0-0. Thus the bitter league debuts for the Barça of the Blaugrana legend who used the number '6' during his time with the Catalan team as a player.

Maximum demand: Flick dissatisfied with Barça's level

Despite the fact that Barça played a good game, and won almost without 'ruffling their feathers', Hansi Flick showed his dissatisfaction with the players in statements after the match, due to the lack of intensity.

"I didn't like the game. They were three important points. After going 2-0 up and seeing the opponent with two red cards, I felt that the team played at 50%, which is unacceptable. I have to talk to the players about this," said the coach.

In the same vein, the 60-year-old coach argued that the team needs to print more speed in their game, considering that Mallorca's more delayed defensive approach limited the available spaces, which complicated the offensive development. 

Despite this, he did not detract from the victory, which is obviously fundamental to start the season in the best way, but he pointed out that there are still aspects that require work and improvement.