{"id":5631,"date":"2025-06-22T16:27:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T16:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5631\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T16:27:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T16:27:09","slug":"ralf-rangnick-talks-flick-yamal-laporta-la-masia-never-seen-barcelona-play-like-this","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/5631\/","title":{"rendered":"Ralf Rangnick talks Flick, Yamal, Laporta, La Masia – ‘Never seen Barcelona play like this’"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a recent interview with Diario SPORT<\/a>, Ralf Rangnick has offered his thoughts on multiple topics in the world of football, including FC Barcelona.<\/p>\n

Rangnick, the current manager of the Austrian national team, has opened up about his connection to the club, his admiration for its founding principles, and his vision for its future under a new German coach.<\/p>\n

On his connection to Laporta<\/p>\n

During the interview, it was established that Laporta has a deep respect for Rangnick and footballing philosophy. The German, in fact, had a key role to play in recommending Hansi Flick.<\/p>\n

Laporta even asked what it would take to implement it at a club like Barcelona.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018That sounds very interesting. And what kind of coaches would you need for that?\u2019 he asked me. And I said, well, we need modern coaches who like to work with young players,\u201d<\/strong> he revealed. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you play almost only with young players, as Barcelona do, you have to trust them, I told Laporta. You have to let them run and play like little young wolves. If you just tell them, don\u2019t do that and don\u2019t risk too much, it won\u2019t work. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to play with young players, you have to take some risks, let them play,\u201d <\/strong>he added. <\/p>\n

The relationship with the club\u2019s board didn\u2019t end there, as Rangnick confirms he remains in contact with the vice president.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. Yuste is still in touch with me, sending me WhatsApp every two months,<\/strong>\u201d he revealed. <\/p>\n

On influence of Johan Cruyff and Bar\u00e7a\u2019s identity<\/p>\n

Rangnick revealed that the Dutch legend was not only an influence but a childhood idol who shaped his own career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be like him. I played for one of the clubs in my city. I was the captain of the team. And at that time, players were playing with the numbers 1 through 11. I asked my coach at the time if I could play with the number 14. And I succeeded,<\/strong>\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo I was the only player on my team who was allowed to play at 14. Johan was, for me, the first modern number ten,\u201d<\/strong> he added. <\/p>\n

He believes Cruyff\u2019s greatest legacy at Barcelona was creating a lasting footballing identity that guides the club through every coaching change.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was clear that after his playing career, he would likely come to play a vital role at a club, whether as a coach or as a sporting director. His influence on clubs like Ajax and Barcelona was enormous.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cJohan Cruyff\u2019s greatest achievement after his playing career was that, in both clubs, this corporate identity endures. Something that other clubs don\u2019t have,\u201d <\/strong>he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Ralf Rangnick has always been a huge fan of Johan Cruyff. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time Bar\u00e7a change coaches, the new one has to be able to follow the same approach. And always, during the last 15, 25, 30 years, they sign similar players, develop young players from their academy, and never bring in the wrong coach. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThat was one of Cruyff\u2019s greatest achievements, because he established that with each change of coach, it makes no sense to change the approach to football and the style of football. Unfortunately, there are not many Cruyffs currently in the clubs,\u201d <\/strong>he added. <\/p>\n

On Hansi Flick and the new high-pressing Bar\u00e7a<\/p>\n

Rangnick went on to talk about Hansi Flick and the new identity he has brought to the table at Bar\u00e7a.<\/p>\n

Rangnick sees his core philosophies on pressing and verticality already being implemented by Flick and praised the dramatic shift in style.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest achievement is the style that changed the team\u2019s focus: High line defence, high pressure. I\u2019ve never seen Barcelona play like this, completely different,\u201d<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHansi trusts and believes in those young high-level players with whom he is playing, with an average age, I don\u2019t know, 23 years old. And yes. And, as I said, Flick trusts and believes in them. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Rangnick has heaped praise on Hansi Flick. (Photo by Martin Rose\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like a father figure to a lot of them, and yes, I think he makes quite a few decisions that are relevant for a modern coach. Very much like Jurgen Klopp or me,\u201d<\/strong> he added.<\/p>\n

On La Masia<\/p>\n

While admitting he hasn\u2019t studied its inner workings, Rangnick acknowledged the undeniable success of Barcelona\u2019s famed academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, no. What I know is that they sign players at a very young age and develop them in the style that Barcelona wants to play, technical football. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIn detail, I don\u2019t know what they\u2019re doing there, but they obviously do a lot of things right, right? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefits are there, with 8 or 9 players from the academy in the first team. And the Spanish team that played against Portugal had nine U20 players do something similar,\u201d<\/strong> he said. <\/p>\n

He sees the youthful core of the current squad as a key to future dominance, if they can be kept together.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would happen to Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain in the next 2 or 3 years if they can keep their squad together? If so, I don\u2019t see any team that can beat them in the next few years,\u201d<\/strong> he said. <\/p>\n

On Lamine Yamal<\/p>\n

Finally, Rangnick, a man renowned for discovering world-class talent, reserved his highest praise for Barcelona\u2019s teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery century, you have a player like that. <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAt only 17 years old, with this maturity\u2026 If you see him play, it\u2019s like he\u2019s coming from a different planet. Unbelievable, an incredible player,\u201d<\/strong> he concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a recent interview with Diario SPORT, Ralf Rangnick has offered his thoughts on multiple topics in the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5632,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[1386,4444,7114,7115,7116,221,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-5631","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-barcelona","9":"tag-barcelona-news","10":"tag-joan-laporta","11":"tag-lamine-yamal","12":"tag-ralf-rangnick","13":"tag-soccer","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114727960646858894","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}