With Flick's approval: Barcelona apply an unusual penalty protocol
Barcelona have been awarded 5 penalties this season, 3 of them in a single match, specifically in last Wednesday's clash against Racing Santander.
Three penalties in one game is a rare haul. But the Catalans' relentless attacking tide swept Racing away, helped along by two reckless interventions from centre-back Pedro Henrique.
According to Sport, the question of who takes Barcelona's penalties has become a talking point early this season.
The paper added: "There is naturally no cause for concern, because the Catalan side are running at full speed."
How a dressing room settles its pecking order for penalty takers makes for intriguing reading, and above all, who gets the final word. The protocol varies from club to club. At some, the coach picks the taker depending on the situation and the players on the pitch.
Flick places his full trust in De la Fuente and Heiko Westermann
In other cases, the assistants or members of the technical staff specifically assigned to set pieces may take on this task. Hansi Flick places his full trust in Jose Ramon de la Fuente and Heiko Westermann.
Since the German manager arrived, the goalkeeping coach has played a key role on set pieces. For reasons that include language, he takes charge of motivating the team and reminding the players, usually at high volume, of the job each of them must do. Flick's German assistant is just as central to the strategy.
Penalties fall under the same remit. That does not mean Flick wants nothing to do with them. He delegates the task entirely to his staff, out of blind trust in them and because Barcelona have been working well on this for months, an area in which Marcus Rashford played an important role last season.
Olmo, Lamine and Raphinha are the three penalty takers this season. Rashford stood out thanks to his powerful, direct striking, but other options have filled the void he left.
On penalties, Flick said recently: "I do not decide who takes the penalty, rather the members of the technical staff decide that. Whoever feels ready to take it, takes it."
Raphinha, the spiritual leader
But Hansi Flick also made clear that it is the players themselves who take the final decision on the pitch.
Raphinha is the "leader" in this regard, and that was clearly evident last Wednesday at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Raphinha decided to take the first penalty, which he scored after winning it himself. The second, awarded following a foul on Karim Adeyemi, he handed to Lamine Yamal. Yamal missed. Then Raphinha stepped up for the third, another Adeyemi had won, and buried it to complete his hat-trick.
Of course, the identity of the player who wins the penalty shapes the decision. But in the German's case, after being fouled for the second time, he looked at Raphinha and asked him to take it, fully aware that the Brazilian holds the number one spot and calls the shots.
Next in the hierarchy comes Lamine Yamal. Against Levante, for instance, Lamine won a penalty at 2-0 and took it himself with Raphinha's approval.
What stands out is the routine. Whenever Barcelona win a penalty, any player who picks up the ball walks it straight over to Raphinha to make the call, because he is currently the best taker in the squad. Only when the score is comfortable do other options emerge.
