Bilbao boss Valverde states difference between Hansi Flick and Xavi

Ernesto Valverde has now faced two different Barcelona managers in the space of six months.

After Barca beat Bilbao 2-1, Valverde was asked about the difference between Hansi Flick and Xavi.

“You can tell that Flick wants to play in behind the space permanently. It’s all details,” Valverde said.

“In the end, the Barça style is always noticeable, but you can see key differences between managers. Today, you can see that Flick was practically playing with two strikers, and Raphinha as a midfielder.”

“It’s not that Flick surprised me, no. It was pretty much the same system they played against Valencia. The only change was Pedri for Casado,” Valverde added.

Flick has started his Barca career with back-to-back wins but he still has a long way to go to match Xavi and win La Liga.