When Xavi left Barca through the back door, there were serious concerns about a squad that seemed to have veterans past their best and youngsters who were still too inexperienced.
But then Flick arrived, re-energised and convinced players like Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Frenkie de Jong, and gave even more responsibility to the likes of Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Pau Cubarsi, setting the team on a path to win, win, and win again.
He’s already done it five times. In his debut season, he captured LaLiga, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup; all of those triumphs came against their eternal rivals Real Madrid, with unforgettable matches that will stay in the memory of Barca fans, like the 5-2 win for their first trophy, the Super Cup in Jeddah.
And in his second year in charge, he’s added two more: another Super Cup, once again beating Madrid 3-2, and a second league title.
An all-out attack philosophy
His attacking style, with the defence often pushed up to midfield to allow his forwards to press high as a unit, has become one of his trademarks. It’s a risky approach - maybe too risky - but it’s worked wonders in Spanish competitions.
However, some experts believe that with this system, he’ll never win the Champions League.
He reached the semi-finals in his first attempt, knocked out by Inter Milan, and the quarter-finals in his second, with Atletico Madrid ending their run.
But Flick stands by his system and his philosophy.
He continues to use out-and-out wingers, as has always been the tradition at Barca, especially since the days of Cruyff. However, he’s managed to evolve the tiki-taka concept - the short passing and quick combinations - by adding more directness, even if it means moving away from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
In any case, he’s turned Barça into a winning machine, which has scored an average of 2.6 goals per game and conceded just 0.91 on average, with the only blemish being their European record.
However, that blemish doesn't change the fact that, just two years into his reign, he has five trophies to his name.