Hansi Flick, euphoric: his FC Barcelona makes him dream of the LaLiga title

The FC Barcelona took a significant step in their aspirations for the LaLiga title by defeating Alavés (1-0) in a complex but crucial match to close the gap in the standings, as Hansi Flick made clear in the post-match press conference. "It was a difficult match, hard work. These are three important points given the situation we were in the league, also considering Madrid's result yesterday," the coach began.

The first 45 minutes were extremely tough for the azulgranas, who could not break down the wall imposed by the babazorros at Montjuïc. However, the German revealed that during the talk with his players at halftime, "we showed them the spaces we could attack, where we had to maintain our positions, and where to be more precise. The second half was better."

Upon returning from the locker room, the Catalan team managed to assert themselves with authority and took the three points with a goal from Robert Lewandowski, who has now scored 30 goals this season. Regarding this, the culé coach stated that this mark from the Pole is a "very good news that he scores, he had done it in other matches from penalties and this is good for the team. We sought the goal a lot, although it was not easy because they defended very well."

The blow to Gavi and the outstanding performance of Lamine Yamal

About the physical condition of Gavi, who had to leave the field after a terrifying head clash with an Alavés player, Flick calmed the waters by assuring that the Andalusian is "fine. Whether he continued was neither my decision nor Gavi's, but the doctor's. He told him that he could not continue playing and he has to respect that. And this needs to be taken care of."

Later, the blaugrana coach referred to the outstanding performance of Lamine Yamal, stating that "this is what he is capable of. We saw a good version of him and we can see how much fun people have with him. It is very good to have him with us."

The coach's praises for the Mataró star did not stop, and when commenting on the spectacular 'Messianic' play of the forward, who dribbled past 7 players from his own half, he assured that "Lamine is very good. He is a genius, I think I already said that in the previous press conference. He is doing well and even though opponents try to attack him. He is doing well and I love it."

The fight for the LaLiga title

Barça has fully entered the race for the LaLiga title with their victory over Alavés and Real Madrid's loss to Espanyol. A match that Flick confessed he did not watch. "Honestly, I did not see the Madrid match. The last few days have been stressful and the best remedy for stress is to go to bed early," the coach stated, surprising the press room.

"In the morning I saw the WhatsApp and something that 'Dela' sent me; and indeed, this had happened. But we have to focus on our own. And I knew today would be tough. But yes, yes. You can ask my wife. I was sleeping. After the match against Atalanta, I had only slept two or three hours", he added.

Regarding the possibility of cutting points from Atleti and the merengues, the German maintained that "Atlético de Madrid and Madrid are fantastic teams. But what we have to do is focus on ourselves. We have to put pressure on them, but we have to focus on our own. That is not how I want to train, looking at others, but focusing on ourselves."

The coach also assured that his team is once again engaged in LaLiga and trusts in their chances of lifting the trophy at the end of the season. "The situation is better than before, of course. But we had to win. We had high pressure and I think we handled it well because Alavés defends very well," he commented.

The breakthroughs of Frenkie de Jong and Eric García

Just as they came out of the locker room, Flick brought in Frenkie de Jong and Eric García in place of Casadó and Araujo. Regarding the reasons for the Dutchman's change, the coach asserted that "you know him better than I do. He had a serious injury, but he has recovered and we need him. With the ball, he is very good and is improving in defense."

Finally, he spoke about the stay of the '24' after being involved in countless rumors linking him to a departure from the club. "For the team, he is very important. We did not think he could leave because he had the best mentality. And we can see that he helps the team very well; and he has defended well. He can play in different positions. He always responds well, even if we tweak the system," he concluded.