Hansi Flick talks Lewandowski, Ter Stegen, Torres, Raphinha, De Jong ahead of Barcelona vs Mallorca | OneFootball

FC Barcelona continued on their winning run in La Liga as they beat Celta Vigo at the Montjuic on Saturday. The Blaugranes had to come from behind but were still able to get a win in this roller coaster of a game.

Now, the Catalans are once again set to play in the league, against Mallorca, at their home stadium. This match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, and Hansi Flick will be looking to get a win, not only to remain at least four points ahead of Real Madrid in the league table, but also to ensure his team heads into the Copa del Rey final in the best of form.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the German coach has addressed a press conference ahead of this game, in which he talked about different aspects of the season for Barcelona and the upcoming games in particular.

The main highlights of Flick’s presser are as below:

The German tactician started by praising Mallorca and highlighting their main strengths:

“Mallorca is having a very good season. They could make it to Europe. It’ll be tough. They defend very well and transition well. We need to be ready.”

Barcelona will be without Robert Lewandowski in this game, as he suffered an injury in the match against Celta Vigo, and Flick did not know when he will be back:

“We still don’t know how long he’ll be out. When he’s ready, we’ll welcome him back happily. There’s no need to rush things.”

The German tactician also provided an update on Ter Stegen:

“He’s ready and prepared. We’ll talk about what we need to do. We’ll decide together with him when the right moment to return is.”

Hansi Flick had criticised the scheduling of the matches by La Liga in his press conference before the Celta match, and did not want to embark on this topic once again as he was asked about the schedule for the Real Valladolid match:

“I said what I wanted to say on Friday and I have nothing more to add. There’s no update.”

Several players were seen making angry gestures during and after the Vigo match, and Flick gave his opinion on the matter:

“I understand that they’re not happy — I was a player too. Everyone wants to prove themselves and help the team. I understand the feeling, but not the reaction. You have to accept it. We made a comeback and took the right decisions. When they play, we want to see the right reaction. Victories are to be celebrated. The reaction has to come on the pitch, not off it.”

The Barcelona trainer talked about the difficulties his team and his main rivals, Real Madrid, will face in the league race:

“We don’t know what will happen. Watching Barça and Madrid’s matches, they’ve both had tough games, against Celta and Athletic. La Liga is at a very high level, and the goal is not to drop points, but even playing well, it’s not easy. We saw that against Celta. I hope it serves as a wake-up call. It’s a long road. Madrid is a fantastic team and they’re also chasing their objectives.”

Flick expressed satisfaction with the mentality his team has been showing lately:

“The most important thing for me is to focus on ourselves. We always have to improve — after Dortmund, after Celta. We need to do much better. We have the quality to beat anyone, but only if we play well. After the comeback against Celta, I see positive energy — that’s the mindset we need to maintain.”

The German manager was clear that he will have to manage the workload of his players, hinting at some possible rotations against Mallorca:

“We have to manage it. Against Mallorca, we need fresh legs. A lot of things go through my mind. The players want to prove they don’t need rest, but we must manage workloads — and the players have to accept that.”

The Blaugrana trainer did not believe the Copa final will have a lot of impact on the La Liga race:

“I don’t think it will have an influence. It will be the end of one competition, but then we have league and Champions League matches coming up.”

Flick praised Ferran Torres, who once again scored for his team against Vigo:

“It will be very important, he’s in very good form, he’s scored goals, and the number 9 is his ideal position. He’s fast, but he controls the ball well and defends with great energy. We will manage him because we need him.”

The Barcelona coach also commented on Raphinha’s role in the team:

“It’s important that the whole team is so professional. They are always focused on how they can be better. Raphinha is fantastic, he’s a leader. We need that attitude in the squad.”

Lastly, Flick also talked about Frenkie de Jong’s errors in the match against Celta:

“We analyzed this game against Celta and showed them how we could do it. We have to keep in mind that losing the ball is possible and we need to be prepared for that. In a 4 against 5 situation, I wasn’t very happy and I told them that we need to improve that.”

Hansi Flick’s comments in this presser hint at some possible rotations in the upcoming game against Mallorca. Barcelona will have to ensure they get the full three points in this late stage of the season, but will also have to ensure they keep their important players fresh for the upcoming Copa del Rey final.