Hansi Flick closes in on Guardiola and Cruyff with historic Barcelona comeback record

Hansi Flick closes in on Guardiola and Cruyff with historic Barcelona comeback record Hansi Flick is closing in on two of Barcelona’s most celebrated managers after guiding his side to a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.  Notably, the result took the German to 23 comeback wins in 133 matches in charge of Barça , leaving him just one behind Pep Guardiola and five short of Johan Cruyff in the club’s historical ranking. Flick approaches Guardiola and Cruyff in Barcelona’s record books As noted, Cruyff leads the ranking with 28 comeback victories from 430 matches as Barcelona manager, while Guardiola recorded 24 in 249 games. Flick, on his part, has already registered 23 in only 133 appearances. Under the German coach, Barcelona have won 21 of the 42 matches in which they have fallen behind, giving the German a 50% conversion rate in those situations.  Fermin completes Barcelona’s turnaround against Atletico The latest addition came at the Metropolitano, where Barcelona had to overcome an early setback.  Giuliano Simeone put Atletico ahead in the 10th minute, following an opening period in which Julian Alvarez had already threatened Barcelona’s goal. Fermin Lopez restored parity just before half-time with a left-footed finish after Pedri created the opportunity.  Barcelona returned with greater intensity after the interval, and their improvement was rewarded in the 66th minute when Lamine Yamal supplied Fermin for his second goal. A significant milestone in Flick’s Barcelona tenure Barcelona had to work hard to beat Atletico Madrid. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) The Atletico victory was Barcelona’s fourth comeback win of the season, following their results against Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla and Galatasaray. Indeed, apart from the obvious three points, the result preserved Barcelona’s advantage over Real Madrid at the top of La Liga and left Atletico five points behind, while also bringing a historic managerial comparison within reach for Flick. For now, Guardiola’s 24 victories are the next benchmark.  Cruyff remains ahead, but Flick’s progress after only 133 matches has already made his place among Barcelona’s most successful comeback managers a strong part of his tenure.