MADRID, 30 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said that his team has “a special atmosphere” and highlighted the “mentality” of the Blaugrana team to recover from the serious injury of Marc Bernal, whose absence will be replaced by Marc Casado or Eric García, who confirmed that he will remain in the squad.
“I see that we have a special atmosphere in this team. The mentality is very good and I really like these players, they are very professional and have a good attitude. After the victory against Rayo Vallecano and Bernal’s injury, I am very proud of their reaction and how they have been with him,” said Hansi Flick this Friday in a press conference prior to the fourth match of the EA Sports League at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys against Real Valladolid.
The coach was “very proud” of this aspect because it is “very important for a team.” “I told them that the attitude and mentality they have is fantastic. You can only win something if you have this mentality, so as a group we are together,” he stressed.
“It was fantastic to see Marc Bernal, we will miss him because it was incredible to see how he played at 17 years old. In the last three games we analysed everything, and what he did was fantastic. Now we have to replace him,” explained the German, who pointed to Marc Casadó and Eric García as possible substitutes for the young academy player, who will miss much of the season due to a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, affecting the external meniscus.
Regarding García, who has recovered from the plantar fasciitis that prevented him from playing in Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano, he confirmed that he will remain in the squad despite rumours of his departure, and recalled that he has already played in the pivot position for the Blaugrana club, and that he also did so in the training session prior to this upcoming match.
He also praised his reaction after Bernal’s injury, highlighting his ability and that of players like Raphinha to adapt and contribute in different positions. “In our situation it is good to have players like Eric Garcia or Raphinha. It is not the individual, it is the team, and this is very important. He said that if I have to play there, I can help the team, and this is the best reaction,” he said.
Regarding the squad and the possibility of strengthening in the final hours of the transfer market, Flick limited himself to saying that they have “enough players” for the match, and that he prefers to focus on the players he has at his disposal.
One of the players who could participate against Valladolid, an opponent that he stressed “defends very well”, will be midfielder Fermín López. “He arrived a little later than the others, so he didn’t play the first games, but we are happy with him. The season is very long and he has shown us what he can do very well. He is always an option, and he has the quality to start in the starting eleven,” he explained.
Frenkie de Jong will not be able to play against the pucelanos, and he said he does not believe that he “needs surgery” and that he hopes he can train with the group after the international break. “He is training well, he has made progress, and the medical team has done a good job, although now we have to wait to see how he evolves with the training load,” he said.
Regarding the leadership of the Blaugrana team in the EA Sports League after the poor start of Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid with two draws in three matches, he said that he is focused on Barça and that they have to do their “job.”
“We’ve done very well in the last three games and I hope we’ll do the same tomorrow,” said Flick, who added that they had a day off yesterday and that they have met again today to prepare for the match against Valladolid. “I’ve been able to see that the players are fresh and I hope they will be as well tomorrow, but they’ve had a very good training session and that’s very positive,” he said.
Finally, when asked about the Champions League draw, which has seen them face Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, among others, he said that he watched it with Marcus (Sorg), his assistant coach, and that they were “a little surprised” by what happened. “We’ll see what happens on Saturday when we know exactly when we play and against which team,” he concluded, while stressing that he is “focused” on the match against Valladolid this Saturday.