Tribal Football

Galli: Flick studied De Zerbi before taking Barcelona job

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Galli: Flick studied De Zerbi before taking Barcelona job
Galli: Flick studied De Zerbi before taking Barcelona jobAction Plus
Former AC Milan defender Filippo Galli has revealed Hansi Flick met with Olympique Marseille coach Roberto de Zerbi before taking the Barcelona job.

Galli says Flick also based Barca's defensive system on Milan's approach with their great teams of the '90s.

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He told Què t'hi Jugues!: "I know De Zerbi well and I know that Flick went to see him work twice before arriving at Barça.

"I'm very pleased that Flick was impressed by our team when he was a Bayern player, because that Milan team was a winner and a convincing team, it gave us emotions."

Galli admitted that in some training sessions Arrigo Sacchi even went so far as to use a rope to correct his players, but that this only happened on two occasions.

"We only did it once or twice at the beginning. What was constant was seeing the coach on the field to constantly correct you , telling you that you were not doing well on the defensive line. Sacchi would constantly stop training sessions to correct the position, even if it was just a matter of two centimetres so that we would play the line correctly."

The former defender also highlighted the level of a Barça that impressed him in the ElClasico.

"I saw Barça against Madrid and the defensive organisation was important, as well as having many class players, many of them from the house, with a Barça heart, that is also important. The youngsters at Barça have personality. They are not afraid to ask for the ball, that is part of a clear entity."