An ecstatic Hansi Flick addressed the media in a press conference after the crucial victory of FC Barcelona against Sevilla. Despite the incidents that occurred during the match, such as the expulsion of Fermín López and the injury of Ronald Araujo, the German assured that "I am very happy with our performance. We played well and fought for the three points".
"I think we played well in the first half and Sevilla did too, of course. In the second half, we changed a few small things. We played with more rhythm, faster, and Fermín's 1-2 was very important for us. I am very proud of the team. After seeing the red card, we defended very well in a 4-4-1 formation," the German evaluated.
The victory in Nervión has made it clear that there is no better team in LaLiga than Barça. In this regard, Flick stated that "there are three, four, or five very good teams and we are among them. We have our style and we are focused on that. Today I am happy for the three points we won in Seville, but in the end, it is a long road".
"We are in a good situation. We do not worry about others. We have to do our job and today we did it. We are focused on our own and not on other teams," added the coach.
The expulsion of Fermín López and the injury of Araujo
Flick wanted to highlight the team's performance after the expulsion of Fermín López, who, according to the German, was upset about the situation. "Fermín was sad about the expulsion, he had scored an important goal. I am happy with the intensity they have (Fermín and Gavi). That happened today and we have to accept it," he commented.
"These things happen, it is a good lesson to play 4-4-1 and know how to defend like that. It is different to play with 10 and we did it very well. They have great wingers and we managed to defend very well," added the German.
The coach also wanted to send a reassuring message to Barcelona fans about the injury of Ronald Araujo, who had to leave the pitch at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán after a tough tackle from Saúl Ñíguez. "We have to wait until tomorrow, but I think Araujo's injury is not serious", stated the German.
Pedri, Ansu Fati, and the reward for the locker room
Flick praised Pedri 'monumental', who once again directed the team from midfield and provided another assist. "He is incredible. He is good with the ball, fast, he helps us a lot in ball possession to get out of pressure... He is great and I am very happy with how he played today", he asserted.
On the other hand, he spoke about the situation of Ansu Fati, who also did not make the squad for this Sunday’s match. "I have been honest with him. I have talked to him. On a day, not everything is perfect, but he is close to the team. That is important. I have seen him at the highest level and that is the level I want him to have. It is not an easy path, but he is getting closer to returning to the team", he maintained.
"The important thing is that they do not do stupid things and focus on their recovery"
Finally, the Blaugrana coach revealed that, after the brutal victory against Sevilla, he has given the team "three days off, so they can rest, which I think they deserve. The important thing is that they do not do stupid things and focus on their recovery", concluded the German amid laughter in the press room.