Flick insisted that Barcelona deserved the victory despite the difficulty of the match and the strength of their opponents, highlighting the team’s impressive attacking performance.
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“I think we played very well in attack, with great enthusiasm. It was not an easy match, but we played at a very high level. Real Betis are a very good team, and I think we deserved to win,” the German coach said.
Flick also highlighted the importance of Barcelona’s goal before half-time, explaining that set-piece training plays an important role in the team’s preparations.
“It is important to practise set pieces. The second goal was extremely important before the end of the first half, and the set-piece specialists are doing a good job,” he said.
The Barcelona coach also addressed the situation of players who do not receive regular playing time, stressing that competition within the squad is normal and that everyone will have opportunities to demonstrate their abilities.
“Every day is the same. Some players are unhappy because they are not playing, and that is normal. At this club, within this team, everyone will have opportunities to play and show what they can do,” he added.
Flick emphasized that the atmosphere within the squad was positive and that training standards remained high thanks to the quality of all the players. He said what pleased him most was seeing that level of performance during daily preparations.
The German coach praised Lamine Yamal’s display, particularly his first goal, which he described as outstanding. He also stressed that the young player continues to shine despite the considerable pressure surrounding him.
“It was a very exciting match, fantastic for the fans and for the world of football. Lamine’s first goal was incredible. He is the best player in the world at the moment, and I am very happy with his performance,” Flick said.
“He is under a lot of pressure. He is only 19 years old, but he is fully committed, and that is fantastic,” he added.
Regarding Barcelona’s preparations for their Champions League encounter with Paris Saint-Germain, Flick explained that the immediate priority was to allow the players to recover before deciding how to manage their playing time.
“The most important thing is recovery. We will see how we manage playing time and what happens with Eric Garcia, Jules Koundé and Gerard. We have another two days, and we will see what happens on Tuesday,” he said.
Flick reiterated that the victory over Betis was important ahead of the European fixture, adding: “I am very proud of the team because it was not an easy match.”
On Eric Garcia’s condition after he left the pitch complaining of pain, the German coach said: “We will see, but it looks like just a minor knock. He felt something, so we substituted him.”
Regarding the refereeing controversy during the match, which included the disallowed goal by Giovani Lo Celso and the sending-off of a Real Betis player, Flick said he had not seen the incident that led to the 2–2 equalizer and therefore could not comment on its details.
He also explained why Lamine Yamal needed to be substituted, saying he had told the player he was proud of his performance and that he had played an excellent match.
Flick also commented on Barcelona’s achievement of nine consecutive La Liga victories. He described the run as a good memory but stressed that the team’s main objective was to win titles and achieve major successes.
“It is a good thing and a nice memory, but what we want is to win titles and achieve great things,” he said.
Meanwhile, Real Betis head coach Manuel Pellegrini launched a strong criticism of referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea following his team’s defeat to Barcelona. He accused the referee’s decisions of having a decisive impact on the match, arguing that Betis had been disadvantaged by the disallowance of Lo Celso’s goal and the red card shown to Facundo Bernal.
Speaking to DAZN, Pellegrini expressed his anger over the decisions made at La Cartuja Stadium. He said he could not understand the reasoning behind them, particularly the decision to disallow Lo Celso’s goal for a handball by Cucho Hernández, as well as what he considered to be fouls preceding one of Barcelona’s goals.
“They were incomprehensible decisions. I could not understand them. A goal was disallowed for a handball that Cucho did not commit deliberately; the ball struck his hand. Meanwhile, for Barcelona’s third goal, a player put his foot on his head, and it ended with him being sent off. There was also pushing and provocation from Lamine Yamal. These decisions had a huge impact,” the Chilean coach said.
Pellegrini added that he could find no explanation for what had happened, despite believing that both teams had entered the match intending to play competitive football.
“I understand that the referee may have been a little upset, but both teams were committed to playing football, and I see no reason for applying these decisions in this way,” he said.
The Real Betis coach specifically criticized the decision to disallow Lo Celso’s goal after the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened and called the referee to the monitor to review a handball during the build-up. The referee subsequently ruled out the goal, which would have brought the Andalusian side level.
Pellegrini explained his view of the incident, saying: “Cucho was trying to reach the ball when a Barcelona player pushed him, and the ball struck his hand. It was not a deliberate handball; he would have stopped the ball with his chest, but it hit his hand. Unfortunately, incidents like this harm the game.”
His criticism extended beyond Lo Celso’s disallowed goal to the second-half dismissal of Facundo Bernal following a confrontation with Lamine Yamal. During the incident, the Barcelona winger pushed Bernal, who responded by grabbing Yamal’s head, prompting the referee to show the Betis player a red card.
The Betis coach argued that the dismissal changed the course of the match. He said his side had been capable of competing with Barcelona before being reduced to 10 men and had players with the technical ability to threaten their opponents and create chances.
“We had some very important players and a clear plan for keeping possession. Fornals, Lo Celso and others have great technical ability. The score was 2–1, and Bellerín was in a one-on-one situation, but the sending-off ruined the match. That was the difference,” Pellegrini said.
The Chilean coach added that his team had performed evenly against Barcelona while both sides had 11 players on the pitch. He argued that the final score alone did not reflect the nature of the contest before the dismissal.
Pellegrini concluded: “Of course, when we were playing 11 against 11, we were competing on equal terms. The match was balanced, and playing against Barcelona was not easy. We created some very clear chances, and until the score became 3–2, everything was even against a team considered the best in Spain.”
Source: Al-Ghad.
