Barcelona’s newest coach Thiago Alcantara through the eyes of his teammates – “He was giving pep talks at 18”

Earlier this week Barcelona confirmed that former player Thiago Alcantara would be joining Hansi Flick’s staff, and he has already started helping out. Brilliant technically, and at one stage arguably the best midfielder in the world, his character is less well-known.

Thiago is believed to be helping Flick settle into the role, with the ability to speak both German and Spanish well, can translate literally for the new coaching staff, but also explain the concepts that Flick is trying to implement, especially as he spent a year working under him at Bayern Munich. The 33-year-old retired suddenly last week due to injury, but those who know him say he is already well-versed in leading and coaching as a player. Speaking to Jonathan Soriano, Relevo quote the following.

“He has that profile. He is capable of communicating messages at just the right time. Already at the age of 18, he had the capacity to give motivational speeches to players, not just to veterans, to 40-year-olds. He seemed like a guy that had experienced it all. Now, with the career that he has had, he looks like a manager to me.”

Breaking: Sergi Roberto no longer wants to wait and is studying a Premier League proposal. @gbsans

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) July 19, 2024

People who worked at Liverpool explained that he also had a close relationship with young Spanish-Serbian midfielder Stefan Bajcetic, who broke into the first team last season. “He was a sort of mentor for Stefan. He was always giving him advice, he spent hours with him, and even had a close relationship with him off the pitch. He helped him [Bajcetic] in the day to day stuff.”

“He has the ability to be a manager, I would offer to be his number two, and be relaxed on the bench,” joked former Celta Vigo, Manchester City and Barcelona winger Nolito too.

Barcelona did not give a set time scale for Thiago’s presence, merely indicating he would be there for the duration of summer. The reporting on the matter has noted that he is keen not to tie himself down, in case an attractive opportunity comes up. While he’s there, his ability to ease the communication, as Flick improves his Spanish, could well be vital to their success.

The post Barcelona’s newest coach Thiago Alcantara through the eyes of his teammates – “He was giving pep talks at 18” appeared first on Football España.