The Barcelona squad needed air. This is how Hansi Flick interpreted it. After the Barça team lost against Leganés in Montjuïc, a particularly damaging defeat for Barça, which has five of the last 18 points in the League, Flick decided to give the squad two days of rest: Monday and Tuesday. “They had gone several weeks without a break,” warned the German coach. In the past, Xavi’s parties for his team generated a stir in the Ciudad Deportiva. “The holidays have to end. They can’t be touching each other balls all the time”, the board complained every time Xavi chose to give the squad a rest. This week no one from the board said anything. “Everyone needs rest,” countered Flick, who had begun to perceive some physical and mental wear and tear on his young squad, the youngest in the Spanish league (23.7 on average). And he added: “Yesterday and today we did good training. “It was the right decision.”
Flick not only changed the training routine, one of his strong points, according to the sports area. The German coach also altered the tone in the speech. Although moderate, as always. The coach showed an unusual side: the vindictive one. “Today is December 20 and we are first in the League and second in the Champions League. “We are not bad,” he stressed. And he did not erase Barcelona’s latest performances from his speech, in any case. “We lost some points against Las Palmas and Leganés. We have to recover them. The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins. Tomorrow is another game. A great game, against one of the best rivals,” Flick assessed the duel against Diego Pablo Simeone’s team, co-leader in the League along with Barcelona.
“He has played more than 700 games with Atlético, it is incredible. He has done a fantastic job and I have great respect for him. I like how excited he is. The team is like him. But tomorrow we want to win,” the German highlighted Simeone’s career in the red and white team. According to Flick, Barcelona has to regain its intensity. The same one, for example, that he had against Borussia. “Against Dortmund, we did well from the start. And we have to do the same tomorrow. Atlético scored many goals in the final minutes. “You have to be prepared from the beginning to the end,” insisted the German coach.
It is nothing new that Flick is concerned and occupies the energy of his boys on the field. The coach, in partnership with Julio Tous, head of physical preparation of the first team, sought, from the first minute he took charge of Barça, to improve the physical capacity of the group. A new work model, on the other hand, that was already demanded of Xavi Hernández from the sports area. The problem for Flick is that he has a short staff. According to the German, Barcelona was also affected by injuries, more than 20 since the start of the season, some long-term like that of captain Ter Stegen and youth player Bernal, few as difficult to assimilate like that of Lamine Yamal, that he will miss the duel against Atlético after suffering a sprained ankle against Leganés.
“We have to accept that he is injured and will not be able to be there. Someone else will play. There are different options. The decision has not been made. We have to wait until tomorrow,” Flick stressed. To match the intensity of Simeone’s team, the technical staff plans a tougher midfield. In that sense, for example, Flick and his staff are working with the idea of placing Gavi in the starting eleven. Dani Olmo would then jump to the bench. It would not be, in any case, the only move that the German is preparing: Fermín would be the replacement for Lamine Yamal. He would do so, however, on the left wing, while Raphinha would once again position himself as the right winger.
“The team has improved and is focused. We are not happy with the situation, but we are going to fight until the end of the season. We want to win titles, we know it won’t be easy. But we want to win, that’s what we want to do tomorrow,” Flick concluded. The squad recovers the days of rest, while the German takes pride in his work. A different week in Barcelona, before hosting Atlético de Madrid.
