FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was happy that his team managed to maintain their level. … (+)
FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was happy that his team managed to maintain the level they showed against Real Madrid last time out, scoring five goals again against Real Betis in the Copa del Rey round of 16 Wednesday.
The new Spanish Super Cup champions, who beat Madrid 5-2 in Jeddah, beat the Andalusians with a similar 5-1 scoreline at Montjuic in midweek.
Commenting post-match, Fl8ck said it was “very important, after the big victory in the Super Cup, to see how the team comes back.”
“We traveled, we didn’t train on Monday, and after just one training session it’s very good to see the performance from the start,” the German explained.
Flick’s lineup had plenty of surprises, with Dani Olmo starting at centre-forward in place of Robert Lewandowski.
“He knows how to play nine perfectly, he did it in the national team. We talked about it. Lewandowski was not an option and we wanted to try him (Olmo).
“The plan worked well and you will have seen that the distance between the players was perfect,” added Flick, before confirming that “Lewa” was not injured and simply needed to rest.
In his own post-match comments, Gavi said Lamine Yamal is the best player in the world “behind only Messi”.
Asked if he agreed, Flick replied: “Gavi is very emotional… yes, my answer is yes, in big matches you see how big talents shine, we ‘ve seen in many matches, but we have to take care of him.”
Praise was also due for Pedri, who Flick said is “thriving”.
“He is one of the players who performs in every game. He runs a lot of kilometers and does a lot of things. It is important for me that he stands out as a leader, we need someone who stands out in the midfield fight. He is doing very well.
Although the defender has been linked with a shock move to Juventus, Flick recalled that Ronald Araujo “has a contract for a year and a half and I never doubted he would be there”.
“I’m very happy to have him and you saw how the fans celebrated his return.”
As for Gavi, Flick explained that “what I like about him is that he is always present, he always presses and wins important duels. And he also knows how to play with the ball, I’m very happy” .
Frenkie de Jong also had a good game, with Flick believing the Dutchman “took a step in the right direction”.
Regarding Ansu Fati, who was left out of the squad, Flick stressed that “there are more fit players and for him it is not easy.”
“He must train and show us that he is improving,” demanded the coach.
