In the tough game at Atletico Madrid on Saturday, FC Barcelona want to make a statement in the title fight and forget the cup disgrace from February. Hansi Flick warned his team accordingly – including about the pitch at the Metropolitano.
The press conference with Hansi Flick was actually supposed to be about his FC Barcelona’s upcoming match at Atletico Madrid. However, the former national coach also took the opportunity to comment on the racist scandal that had taken place a few days earlier during the test match between Spain and Egypt at the stadium of city rivals Espanyol – and to praise his protégé Lamine Yamal.
But not because of his footballing prowess: “Lamine made a fantastic statement,” emphasized Flick: “In the world of soccer, we are committed to inclusion. It was frustrating – it’s a small group of idiots who don’t understand that.”
Lamine Yamal described the incidents after the match on Instagram as “disrespectful” and ‘intolerable’: “I understand that not all fans are like that, but those who chant things like that are: Making a religion the subject of ridicule on the pitch makes you look like ignorant and racist people.”
Flick warns against Atletico – and the pitch
For the youngster, however, FC Barcelona’s first priority after the international break is to defend their lead at the top of the table. With nine games remaining in La Liga, Barca have a four-point lead over second-placed Real. The Catalans now have a tough task ahead of them when they visit Atletico, as they went down 4-0 in their last meeting at the Metropolitano and were eliminated from the Copa del Rey despite winning the second leg 3-0. With the quarter-finals of the Champions League coming up, the two teams will now meet three more times in eleven days.
So Flick was not sparing with praise for the next opponent. “It’s always difficult to play against them, they have one of the best coaches in the world. I like what I see of them and how they play,” he said. In their last outing against the Rojiblancos, his players repeatedly slipped up, with keeper Joan Garcia slipping the ball under his sole when they conceded the first goal. Flick’s simple countermeasure: “We talked about it. I told the players that they need to pay attention to this and maybe change their studs.”
Raphinha gets special leave
The 60-year-old can rely on a number of key players again, even if Frenkie de Jong will be missing: “The good news is that we have Koundé, Balde and Eric back. Frenkie will be able to train with the team again next week. But step by step. We’ll have to wait and see,“ said Flick.
Raphinha, who injured his right thigh with the Brazilian national team much to the displeasure of president Joan Laporta and will be out for around five weeks, will not be returning to Barcelona just yet: ”We spoke via video call and to give him a clearer head and more rest, we’ve agreed that he’ll spend a few days resting with his family in Brazil.”.