Who is Marcus Soorg, the coach who's gonna run Barcelona today in El Classic in the absence of Flick?

Barcelona will travel to “Santiago Bernabéu” for the first El Clásico season saw coach Hansi Flick in the panquina. Germany will be absent because of a suspension, and instead, the team will be led by assistant Marcus Soorg.

Soorg appeared in front of the media today at the official Barcelona conference, on the eve of the match against Real Madrid. Flick was expelled with a red card last week in his victory over Girona, and although the Catalan club appealed the verdict three times, all complaints were rejected. Flick's deputy admitted that his absence will be felt in the face of great confrontation.

Marcus Soorg, 59, had a 15-year career as an attacker in low German leagues before he withdrew from active football in 1999. After that, he took the lead in the Ulm club, then joined Freiburg as the coach of the new age group, and for a four-month period in 2011 led the first team. Later he worked with the Bayern Munich Academy, where he gained great experience, and in 2013 he took the lead of the German national U19.

In 2014, Soorg won the U19 European Championship, and in 2016 he became part of Germany's A national technical staff. When Hansie Flick was fired from the direction of <x0 sessions” in 2023, Soorg followed him out.

According to the daily Diario AS, Marcus Soorg is known as a low profile, very cautious person with words, loyal and self - critical in match analysis. He has very good relations with the players and quickly gains their trust.

Marcus is a very careful and detailed coach. It is highly appreciated because every training session with him is a new lesson. Besides his extraordinary tactical abilities, this makes him special,”
Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka said of the AS.

Although he does not speak fluent Spanish, Soorg has learned several expressions during a two - month practice in Buenos Aires with the 2008 Argentinos Juniors club, writes Sports. He has been described as a reserved and quiet man, although last season there had been a minor clash with Carlo Anceplott.

Engineering graduate Soorg places great importance on field discipline, but always combining it with an offensive style of philosophy seen in Flick's Barcelona. In some cases, he has followed the coach's new fashion, such as Luis Enrique, watching the contests from the tributaries for a clearer tactical perspective.

Considered an important influence for Joshua Kimmitch, Soorg has often stressed that he likes working with young players, who have <x0-speed, hunger and technical skills” ) the three qualities he believes constitute the foundation of modern football./Periscopi/