When Hansi Flick took over at Barcelona, one of the first things he addressed was the team’s discipline on the field.
He made it plain that ongoing disagreements with referees would not be tolerated. Flick was aware that on-field protests and angry arguments between players and the bench had been a problem since last season.
This lack of control frequently resulted in unnecessary bookings and suspensions, which the German strategist wanted to put an end to immediately.Reported By Barca News.
Things have changed this season.
The players understood his directions and responded with excessive discipline.
Now, as the season comes to a close, Barcelona can brag an incredible accomplishment: no player has been punished due to an accumulation of yellow cards in any competition.
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So far, just five players have missed games due to disciplinary sanctions, and each was for a red card coming from in-game situations, not complaints or dissent against match officials.
Interestingly, without a player banned for repeated cautions, the manager has had the luxury of using his top alternatives in practically every encounter.
A new level of discipline
A cursory look at the statistics reveals that Barcelona has the fewest overall cards in La Liga—50 yellow cards, the same as Real Madrid, despite Madrid receiving one more red card than the Catalans.
In the Champions League, Barcelona has received only one yellow card per match – 12 in 12 games.
Barcelona has not had such a clean disciplinary record in Europe since the 2004/05 season under Frank Rijkaard, when they received only seven bookings in eight matches.
As of today, the only players facing suspension in La Liga are Gavi and Jules Kounde.
Inigo Martinez was on the verge of being banned in the Champions League, but that fear has been alleviated as yellow cards have been cleared ahead of the semifinals.
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