“At Real Madrid, that kind of discipline doesn’t exist” - Toni Kroos compares Barcelona's philosophy under Hansi Flick to Los Blancos
Toni Kroos has sparked intriguing debate in the football world, comparing the disciplinary approaches of Barcelona under Hansi Flick and the culture at Real Madrid. The former Germany international, who called time on his professional career almost a year ago, spent a decade at Los Blancos.
Meanwhile, Flick took over the managerial reins at Barcelona last summer, and took the club to unexpected highs, winning a domestic treble. Real Madrid, on the other hand, finished the campaign trophyless and, much to their chagrin, lost two cup finals to their archrivals.
While Flick and Kroos could be rivals in their allegiances on the club side, the pair worked together in the German national team. Thus, the former Los Blancos midfielder has a fair idea of the coaching philosophy of the Barcelona boss.
Speaking on a podcast with his brother Felix, Kroos juxtaposed Flick’s discipline at Barcelona with Real Madrid’s modus operandi, especially around punctuality.
He said (via Madrid Universal):
“With Hansi, some players have been left out of the team because they were late for a meeting. This has happened several times at Barca. They are different philosophies. At Real Madrid, they would have laughed. Many times, you didn’t know who was late, the player or the coach. It’s a different mentality. At Real Madrid, that kind of discipline doesn’t exist.”
However, Kroos avoided saying one approach was better than the other, and opined that both philosophies had their place.
“They’re just different. We could say that Flick’s is typical of Germany,” he concluded.
Toni Kroos was spot-on with his claim about how Hansi Flick has instilled discipline at Barcelona. In February, the German tactician punished defender Jules Kounde by benching him after he showed up late for one of the team’s meetings. In September, reports also emerged that teenage sensation Lamine Yamal was punished with a ‘tunnel of slaps’ after flouting a disciplinary rule set by Flick.
“With Xavi, the fines doubled every minute” – When Barcelona star Pedri revealed Hansi Flick’s punishment for coming late
During a Spanish chat show last year, Barcelona midfielder Pedri opened up about the strict disciplinary measures Flick enforced at the club, saying it replaced Xavi’s fine system. He said (via 90min):
"Every coach has his punishments. With Xavi, the fines doubled every minute. The money from the fines was used to pay for meals and we normally donated it to charities. With Flick, it's not like that anymore. If you arrive late, you don't play. For me, not playing is worse."
He concluded by saying Flick's penchant for punctuality stemmed from his nationality.
