Hansi Flick opens up on the dismissal of Xabi Alonso, sharing his honest take on the dramatic end to the Spaniard’s time at Real Madrid.
The Barcelona coach cut a measured figure when questioned ahead of Barça’s Copa del Rey clash with Racing Santander, preferring to emphasise the realities of elite management rather than fan the flames of a crisis across the Clasico divide.
He spoke about the constant pressure that surrounds coaches at the very top, the need for backing from the board and dressing room, and the demands of representing a giant like Barcelona just days after lifting the Spanish Super Cup.
In Flick’s eyes, the job is defined as much by brutal decisions in boardrooms as by tactics on the pitch, and he was keen to remind everyone that any coach lives at the mercy of results and club politics in modern football, as reported by Goal.
Only in his second answer did Flick directly address Alonso’s fate, opening up with empathy but also clear distance.
The German admitted he has a “very good relationship” with Alonso, recalling how they first met during the Basque coach’s rise at Bayer Leverkusen and have stayed in touch since, and he praised him as an “excellent coach” who will succeed again in his next job.
At the same time, Flick stressed that Real Madrid’s call to sack their coach “is not my concern” and framed it as something that has to be accepted as “part of football”, pointing out that those who make decisions must believe fully in their coach – and are just as entitled to change course when that belief fades.
Flick’s own position at Barcelona, strengthened by the Super Cup win that effectively sealed Alonso’s fate, underpinned the contrast.
With another trophy push ahead, and a Clasico rival in turmoil, Flick presented himself as focused, protected, and quietly determined to make the most of Barcelona’s newfound stability.
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