Hansi Flick turned the Atletico Madrid clash on its head. The Barcelona boss made bold calls at half-time, and they gave his side the lift they needed to wipe out their deficit and claim a 2-1 win on Sunday evening in the 12th round of La Liga. The match laid bare just how much the German's interventions mattered at the decisive moments.
Spanish newspaper "Marca" praised Flick's courage in managing the game, arguing his half-time changes were the key to Barcelona's comeback. Half the credit for the win, they reckoned, belongs to the head coach, who fixed the errors that had been glaring throughout the first half.
His starting choices didn't pay off. Flick fielded Farinas at right-back and Marc Bernal in place of Rodri, yet Barcelona looked dreadful in the first half, rescued only by a late Fermin Lopez goal.
The German knew he had to act. He hauled off an exhausted Farinas at the break, then surprised everyone by throwing on Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman proved a major addition to the midfield, closing the gap on one side of the pitch that Atletico had exploited in the first half and giving the team the muscle to match their opponents in the middle.
Better still, Barcelona ramped up their high press after a first half spent chasing the ball in vain. Atletico Madrid suddenly found it desperately hard to get anywhere near Joan Garcia's goal.
Flick wasn't done. He turned his attention to the left flank, where Cancelo had underwhelmed, bringing on Christensen for Balde and shifting Gerard Martin back to left-back. Three telling changes reshaped the team and handed Barcelona the upper hand in the second half.
Other details mattered too, "Marca" noted, chief among them the brilliance of Joan Garcia. The goalkeeper denied two decisive Atletico chances during their first-half dominance, keeping Barcelona's hopes of a comeback alive.
Lamine Yamal kept probing all game. His persistence finally paid off with the move that settled the clash, a superb pass to Fermin Lopez, who tucked away the winner. Barcelona's comeback was complete, built on Flick's decisions and his players' brilliance when it counted most.