Madrid - Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has praised the decision to renew the contract of Brazilian star Raphinha, which was agreed in recent days.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of Barcelona's La Liga Matchday 12 clash with Atlético Madrid, Flick said: "Raphinha's contract renewal? It is the best decision for Barcelona and for Raphinha. I am very happy about it. He is a wonderful player and the captain of our team."
Asked about Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez, the German coach replied: "He is a wonderful player for me, but he plays for Atlético Madrid, and I must focus on my team."
He added: "Has Julián Álvarez become a thing of the past? I don't like talking about players who play for other clubs. I focus on the players in my team, and I am very happy with the team's current situation. We have many options in attack, and I am not thinking about anything else."
Julián Álvarez was Flick's first choice to bolster the attack with a new signing last summer, but Atlético refused to allow the player to move to Barça.
Flick made a series of important remarks before the highly anticipated clash with Atlético Madrid, revealing his thinking on the starting line-up, the situation of some players returning from injury, and his view of the race for the top of La Liga.
During the press conference for the match, Flick spoke about the difficulty of the fixture, past meetings with Atlético, the choice between Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, and the situations of Eric García and Andreas Christensen.
The German coach said: "Every match is very important. There are three or four very strong teams in La Liga, and the gaps between them in the table are very small. Of course, beating Atlético Madrid would be very important."
He continued: "We will do our best, but we still have a long way to go in the season. We will go there aiming for a win, knowing that we will face a great team with a great coach, so the match will be difficult."
On previous meetings with Atlético Madrid, Flick said: "All of that is in the past, and it does not concern me now. What matters most to me is what happens tomorrow. We know we will face a very strong team, and we must win to go top before the international break. So it is important that we show our strength and quality in this match."
Flick discussed the differences between Frenkie de Jong and Marc Bernal, saying: "Frenkie can play in different positions, but there are similarities between them. De Jong may have more experience, but both have confidence and the ability to make decisive decisions when they are on the ball."
He added: "Bernal is performing excellently. He knows well where he should be on the pitch, and I am very happy with what he is delivering. I am also very happy about Frenkie's return. We need to pick the right starting line-up, and we will talk about that later today or tomorrow."
Asked whether De Jong would start against Atlético, Flick replied: "I have not yet decided whether he will start or not, and it is always better to think about these things carefully. We know well what he can do, as well as what Bernal can do, and I really liked what the latter has delivered."
On when Rodri would return, and the criticism over how the club handled the player's situation, Flick said: "Things can always be improved, but I think in this case I communicated with the player and we reached a solution."
He explained: "When you talk to a player with experience, listen to him, and agree on a solution, I don't think there is much more that can be done. That is my view. And when you see the result, you may say you could have acted better, but all of that is now in the past."
On Eric García and Andreas Christensen, who have returned to full group training, Flick confirmed that both will be in Barcelona's squad to face Atlético Madrid.
The German coach said: "Eric may start the match, as both will be in the team's squad tomorrow. I think Eric can play from the start, but we will see."
On the other side, Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid's head coach, confirmed Julián Álvarez's fitness ahead of the anticipated clash with Barcelona, noting that his team is well aware of how difficult the match will be, given the great attacking strength of its opponent.
Speaking at the press conference for the Barcelona match, Simeone said: "Motivating the defence to face Barça's attacking power? We are not looking to motivate the defensive line, but we want to maintain the level we have shown over the past period."
On Atlético's superiority in knockout matches against Barcelona, he said: "I have no specific reasons to explain that. We face a very good team, arguably the best without any doubt, with great attacking strength from midfield to the front line."
On comparing Pep Guardiola's Barcelona with Hansi Flick's, he said: "I am not here to compare the two teams. I am focused on preparing for tomorrow's match and giving the best possible performance for our fans."
On the situation of Joan Cardoso, he said: "He has worked very well, and he will join the squad tomorrow. We will decide who starts the match."
On the appropriate number of minutes for Jonathan David and Kang-in Lee, Simeone said: "How many minutes would be ideal for them? I think they are currently playing the number of minutes in which they can add something to the team."
On Julián Álvarez's physical condition, Simeone said only: "He is fine and in very good shape."
The Argentine coach praised Raphinha: "For me, he is an exceptional player. He is hardworking, scores goals and creates them, and he has started the season wonderfully in a different position."
On the differences between Barcelona this season and last, he said: "The team has not changed its style of play, and you can clearly recognise its coach's identity since he arrived at Barcelona. The team relies on high pressing and winning the ball back often, and it has a great ability to score goals."
He added: "Lewandowski was a more central striker in the box, and last season Olmo sometimes played, but they are completely different from Raphinha. Barcelona also have Gordon on the left. Defending becomes much more complicated when you face a player like Raphinha who does not stay in the penalty area."
On Atlético's ability to compete with Barcelona, he said: "We face a very good team, and we know we will suffer for a large part of the match."
On which match from last season could be a useful reference, he concluded: "The difference lies in Raphinha's positioning, which changes some things compared with what the team did last season. I don't know which match we will watch tomorrow, but we hope our fans will be close to us and support us as they always do. When that happens, our players react differently."
Source: Al-Ghad.
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