Hansi Flick’s mention of the importance of ‘team spirit’ at Barcelona pinpointed exactly where Liverpool are going wrong this season.
The former Bayern boss spoke of the importance of winning the right way as his Barca side lead the La Liga table by four points.
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Meanwhile, Arne Slot’s Reds find themselves toiling in fifth, committing to what many perceive to be an unattractive brand of football in 2025/26.
Arne Slot must heed Hansi Flick and Jamie Carragher’s warnings
Whilst Flick was far from making a pointed claim about Liverpool, it serves to show that the Merseysiders have lost much of the team spirit that served them well under Jurgen Klopp. Not to mention during Slot’s first season in charge of the eventual Premier League winners.
🚨 Hansi Flick: “At Barcelona it’s not just about winning… it's how you do it”.
“You have to have a team spirit”. pic.twitter.com/5cMtbcfc6q
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 17, 2026
It conveniently mirrors comments issued by former Red Jamie Carragher in his analysis of Liverpool’s dire display in their 1-1 draw with Tottenham at the weekend.
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“Liverpool are not a team, they are a team of individuals,” the 48-year-old told Sky Sports.
“Of quality players? Yes. Just dropped in, no cohesion. You can see that on the clip, and that’s what they’ve lost. And that is the most important thing for Liverpool Football Club.
“I never think of Liverpool as this fan Zidane team with all superstar players. It’s always about top players, but being a team.”
Liverpool need to bring cohesion and joy back to the table
Liverpool feel incredibly passive compared to the prior campaign. If they hold the lead going into the second-half, there’s a near overwhelming sense that they’re destined to throw it away in the second 45.
The simple fact is that we’re not doing enough in either half – be it to kill off the game in the first 45 or see things out in the second.
BBC Sport found that we could have picked up 60 points at this stage of the season had we not conceded after the 90-minute mark against eight opponents in the Premier League.
Forget the title defence – that’s an inexcusable stat for any side that considers itself a serious contender for Champions League football each season.
And we’re not going to change things until the style of football becomes more positive and everyone starts working as a collective.
Failing that, Arne Slot will just find himself sleepwalking to an eventual, and deserved, sacking at the end of the season.
How do you become a good team? It’s done on the training ground by the manager. Klopp left slot a good team, and every month since slot arrived we’ve got worse. The decline started in the last five months of last season, remember the league cup final defeat against Newcastle. So reminiscent of the performances this season. A gradual change from the old training methods that were left from klopp to the new ideas slowly tepid football without any pressing from slot. The longer slot has been manager we’ve got worse and worse. Why should things get any better now, slot has even been very lucky to get 450 million on players . The thing left to say is when will he get sacked, at what point do FSG do something.
All the best Liverpool teams always pressed from the front, team ethic and work rate without the ball was why we won so many league titles. Slot has had enough time to coach this squad into decent functioning team who know how to defend and who are organised. Some of the defensive aspects of this Liverpool team are the worst I’ve ever seen from any Liverpool team. Even under Hodgson we were more organised. Get this season over, sack slot get Alonso in , and give the supporters some hope for next season. We’ve had enough of slot.
No more Dutch manager’s please FSG.
The team Klopp left, left, we have no British backbone, Hendo, Milly gone plus others, we now have Ajax lite, Gakpo has to go, Slot does not like the brits or youngsters, Wenger was like that with his French lads first, City waste British talent, just sit them on the bench, there are too many teams doing the bench quota.
Passing the ball, we can’t, well we can to the opposition. Losing the ball, we can. Kicking the ball at players in the box, Gakpo is world class. wasting chances or passing to the opposition goalie, we can do that well. Find space, nope. pass to a player with 4-5 opposition players around him, we are naturals at it. play 2 games in a row well, not any more……..
Pay Millie whatever he wants to take over training and see if that fella from PSG is willing to have a go in the Summer among other things.
Why is macallister not performing? The south american core is broken after they sold diaz and nunez. Why is Salah not performing? The insistence to play 4231 despite the fact it is not working with the players we have. Trust the working formula. If 433 works with the players we had, use it and continue pressing. Add to the squad to strengthen the team and not dismantle to weaken.