Barcelona's 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday's first-round Clasico has ignited a fierce debate about one question: what does Hansi Flick deliver against the elite coaches?
Flick has achieved plenty since Barcelona signed him in the summer of 2024. Yet his time at the Camp Nou has exposed one glaring flaw. He struggles against the game's top coaches, with only rare exceptions.
Take his first season. Flick suffered a painful 2-1 loss to Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid before hitting back to win the return leg 4-2.
Against Carlo Ancelotti, then in charge of Real Madrid, he fared far better, getting the better of the Italian both home and away.
The Champions League told a different story. Barcelona crashed out in the semi-finals to Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan.
Last season followed the same pattern. Flick lost 2-1 to Luis Enrique's Paris Saint-Germain and dropped the Clasico by the same scoreline to Xabi Alonso's Real Madrid.
Enzo Maresca's Chelsea thrashed him 3-0 in the Champions League, and Simeone's Atletico knocked him out of the competition too.
Simeone struck again in the Copa del Rey semi-final, winning the first leg 4-0. A 3-0 win in the return leg wasn't enough, and Barcelona went out.
This season brought a 4-2 Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Sunday's Clasico loss completed the grim run against the elite.
Such a pattern throws Barcelona's ambitions into doubt, particularly in Europe. The Catalan club are desperate to win the Champions League for the first time since 2015.
Unless those struggles end, that dream looks under genuine threat. Reaching the final means getting past a string of Europe's finest sides.