Hansi Flick talks Gavi, Lewandowski, Real Madrid and more after Barcelona 1-0 Alaves | OneFootball

Barcelona made up lost ground in the race for the league title, securing a narrow 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves.

Robert Lewandowski’s second-half goal was the only differentiator in a game where Barcelona had some difficulties breaking down a well-organised Alaves defence.

Things did eventually get better in the second half, which is something that was highlighted by Hansi Flick himself, in the post-match press conference.

What Hansi Flick said after win vs Alaves

Talking about the win, Flick said, “It was a tough game and required a lot of effort. It was very important to get the three points considering Real Madrid’s result yesterday.

“We made it clear to the players which space to attack and worked to find the best positions to score. The second half was much better. I am very happy with the team. They tried to score goals, but it was not easy because they defended very well.”

Highlighting the differences between the two halves, Flick admitted that Alaves defended very well.

“They defended very well. In the first half, we didn’t play the way we wanted to, but in the second half, we played much better. It was very important to get this win and get the three points. That was our goal,” he said.

Barcelona were indeed the better team in the second half, perhaps thanks to Hansi Flick, who might have given the team quite the boost at the break.

Talking about changes made in the second half, Flick said, “At half-time, we said: OK, we need better positioning, we need to pass much faster and much better.

“We focused on positioning, talking about how to play with short distances between players, and they did that very well. Also, Ronald had a yellow card, so we had to be aware of that as well. It was a difficult game, but we fought for these three points.”

Flick’s second-half motivation played a key role in Barcelona’s win (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“Frenkie also came on because with the ball he has a lot of confidence, and that helps us a lot,” he added.

Flick went on to address de Jong’s current status at Barcelona, admitting that the Dutchman has been enjoying a return of confidence in recent matches.

“This is Frenkie, you know him better than me. I know he’s been here a long time, he had a really bad injury, but he’s back and now he has confidence in his ankle, which is very important.

“I think his level on the ball is very good, that helps us a lot. In defence, he has done much better than before, that’s what we are working on because we need him. We also need him in defence, and he is improving a lot at the moment,” he said.

As mentioned earlier, a key differentiator in this game was Lewandowski, who scored the all-important winner for Barcelona and further extended his scoring tally.

Lewandowski is now close to beating his first season’s tally, even with a chunk of the season still remaining.

Talking about Lewandowski, Flick said, “This is Lewy’s role, you know, he’s the best. I always say this: he’s the best player, the best number 9 inside the box. It was very important that he scored. In this difficult match, it is important for him to be present.“

Flick also hailed Lamine Yamal, who raised eyebrows with his famous dribble past the Alaves defence that reminded a lot of Barcelona fans of Lionel Messi.

“I’m not a fan of talking about it, Lamine is a genius. What he did today in some moments was unbelievable. I’m very happy that he plays for Barcelona, ​​it’s amazing. At 17 years old, he’s doing amazing,” Flick said when asked about comparisons with Messi.

Lamine Yamal produced a stellar display in the attack. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“In every game he’s good. The opponents are not easy at all, they are strong, they defend well, and they try to put pressure on him, but despite that, he is doing a great job. He is doing well, and I like that. It’s great to have Lamine with us,” he added.

Flick talked about the fitness of Gavi as well, after the young midfielder was involved in a brutal collision with Tomas Conechny.

The Barcelona manager confirmed that Gavi is fit, though he refused to admit whether or not the midfielder will be returning to action as soon as possible.

“I think in this case it’s not Gavi’s decision, it’s not my decision, it’s the doctor’s decision. And when he says, ‘No, no, we have to be careful, he has to get out, we have to take care of him,’ that’s what we did.

“What I can say now is that he is on his way home and everything is fine. Nothing happened, and that’s the good news. I know Gavi always wants to play, but in this case, yes, we have to take care of him,” he said about Gavi’s return.

As for his fitness, the coach said, “I just spoke to him. It was a very strong blow and he wanted to continue playing, that’s what he told me. He’s in hospital, Gavi and Conechny are fine. It was a surprise, but Barça fans can rest assured.“

Reports suggest Gavi is indeed fit and has returned home. It also adds that the midfielder could be available in Barcelona’s next game against Valencia this midweek.

As for Flick, he was asked about Real Madrid’s recent defeat to Espanyol and what it means for Barcelona in the title race.

“I think for us the situation is better now than before. It was necessary to win today, and the team did well because the pressure on them was not low, it was very high. And we did a very good job,” he said about Barça’s current status.

Talking about Real Madrid’s defeat to Espanyol, Flick revealed that he hadn’t watched the match and was instead sleeping.

“Sleeping. I was sleeping and you can ask my wife,” he said when asked whether or not he watched the Real Madrid game.

“Honestly, I didn’t watch that yesterday. I really didn’t. Because the last few days have been very stressful. I think the best thing to deal with stress is to go to bed early, and that’s what I did.

“I slept well, which is important because after the game against Atlanta, I only got two or three hours of sleep, but last night I slept much better, and I woke up this morning feeling great,” he added.

Finally, Flick offered his thoughts on Real Madrid’s upcoming game against cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid, the outcome of which could be extremely consequential to Barcelona’s position in the title race.

“Atletico and Real are two great teams. I think it’s good now to focus on your team. We have to do our job, we are a few points behind, so we have to win, we have to win, we have to put pressure on them, that’s the important thing,” he concluded.

Source: Barça One