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FLICK OPENED THE DEBATE ON GOALKEEPING

Hansi Flick explodes against LaLiga refereeing: "Every match is the same"

Published:20/01/2025 - 20:03h

Updated:20/01/2025 - 20:03h

Hansi Flick spoke to the media ahead of the Benfica-Barça match. The German commented on the uncalled penalty on Koundé and reopened the debate on the goalkeeping situation.

Calendar of FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona will visit the Estádio da Luz this Tuesday, January 20, to face Benfica in a match that could seal their direct qualification to the knockout stage of the Champions League. Ahead of the match, Hansi Flick spoke to the media in a press conference, and in addition to revealing his feelings ahead of the clash against the Lisbon team, he commented on the embarrassing uncalled penalty on Jules Koundé against Getafe.

Regarding the match against the Portuguese, the German stated that a victory "would be a great step for us. In the position we are in, being second, it is important to earn points. There are many matches left until the end of the season and we could save ourselves two matches, those of the playoffs".

After being asked whether he considers winning the Champions League a realistic goal for Barça this season, Flick firmly stated that "winning the Champions League is one of the most difficult things in football. We are in three competitions and we will fight until the end".

Additionally, he responded to Bruno Lage, coach of Benfica, who stated that the Catalans are favorites to lift the 'ear' on May 31. "The future will tell if he is right or not. Obviously, it is one of our objectives. It is one of the most difficult competitions to win. For now, I see Liverpool and they play very well in every match, they are doing a great job. For the moment, they are one of my favorite teams," he said.

The debate on Barça's goalkeeping

Flick did not clear up doubts regarding the blue and garnet goal when asked about the possible starting position of Szczesny in Lisbon, revealing that "we will see tomorrow. I said last week that things had changed because in the Supercup we saw the good level that Szczesny showed. I like him a lot. We talked about it and we will see tomorrow".

The Catalan coach, on the other hand, took the opportunity to praise the Polish player, expressing his satisfaction with his personality and professionalism. "He is one of the best friends you can make. His behavior is really good. He has experience and can help the young players," he asserted.

The controversy in Getafe

Despite the 'stumble' of Barça in Getafe, the German expressed his happiness with the way his team played. "I would say that the team is playing very well, working very focused. As I said in Getafe, it is my first season here and in LaLiga, I had no experience and did not know how the opponent was going to play. In Getafe, you had to look at the sky all the time, it looked like tennis," he commented.

"Every match is the same. For me, it is incredible. It was a clear penalty"

Finally, Flick joined Joan Laporta's complaints regarding the shameful refereeing of the match against the blue ones after neither the referee nor VAR decided to call a clear penalty in favor of the Catalans for a foul on Koundé inside the area. "Was it a penalty or not? I don't know what to say. Every match is the same. For me, it is incredible. It was a clear penalty. You didn't need VAR" he concluded.