FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick wants to recover his physical strength without making excuses, so he trusted that “everyone will come back healthy” from the international break following the win over RC Celta (2-4), leading to the team’s loss to leading Real Madrid.
“We want a little more. I like what we saw today. In the first half we made more mistakes than in the second, and they took advantage of them to score two points, but in the second half we controlled the game, handled the ball and defended much better,” he said at a press conference in Balidos.
The German coach made it clear that he preferred the second act to the first, when Barça were strong but fell behind and took the lead three times. “In football, it doesn’t matter what happened. It’s always about the next game. The second half gives us confidence for the next game. We’re always looking at ourselves. It’s always a good way to put pressure on your rivals. I’m happy with what we saw in the second half,” he said.
Flick was also asked about the hat-trick of Robert Lewandowski, who returned to the starting lineup. “Everyone knows that after the injury you see a different Lewandowski. He’s positive. It’s good for his confidence and it’s good for him and for us to score three goals,” he said, also praising Frenkie de Jong.
After the Dutchman received two yellow cards at the end, he added: “It was a great game. He controlled the game. It was very important for us to control this game. He is playing at a high level. It’s not good that he got a red card, but we have to deal with it.”
“Pedri will be back, Rafinha will be back, Joao will be back, but we’ll see. It’s better to go into the break with a win. Everyone is proud and I hope everyone comes back healthy. There are no excuses for the injuries. Now let’s hope they come back,” he concluded, looking at the team’s good form despite the doubts in the last game.
“The point in Bruges was important. I think we have done well on the road, in the league and in the Champions League. We analyze each game and try to make everything better. They are confident and believe in what we are doing,” he concluded.
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