Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, asserts that to face Real Madrid in LaLiga this Saturday, his players need to focus on what they did in the second half against Bayern Munich (4-1) in the Champions League, where his team played as “a compact unit.” 

“Our idea is to press hard and press with the ball. We need to be a compact unit and not leave too much space. What we did in the second half against Bayern Munich was great. That’s what we need to focus on,” he commented.

Flick noted the special atmosphere surrounding this game—“we’re all excited to play it,” he remarked—and added that, despite the level of the rival and individual players like Vinícius and Mbappé, their style of play won’t change.

“I trust my players because they’re doing an amazing job. After the 1-1 against Bayern, we pushed forward, and that’s a good sign; it means we believe in ourselves, in possession, and in attacking, with or without the ball. We’ve shown it, and we’ll keep showing it,” he analyzed.

Two key names in his statement were the young Pau Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal. Regarding Cubarsí, he praised his performance and “his hunger” in training: “He gives everything for the club.”

On the Catalan forward, he highlighted that, in the game against Bayern, he did everything the coaching staff asked of him: “The most important thing was to put pressure on Alphonso Davies, and he did just that. He’s a very fast player and used the spaces perfectly. He’s a fantastic player.” 

Ahead of his first Clásico as Barcelona’s coach, Flick was asked about the recent video from Real Madrid TV about referee Sánchez Martínez, who will officiate the Clásico on Saturday.

“I wasn’t aware of Real Madrid TV’s videos, but it’s not right to do this. Referees have a tough job, and my job is to prepare the players. I’ve never had issues with referees. At the beginning of the season, I told the team that the focus should be on performance, not on referees,” he clarified.