Hansi Flick believes his Barça was "on another level" against Atlético

Fúttbol Club Barcelona added their 12th victory in 15 League matches, their fourteenth of the season, but the most important one to date against Atlético de Madrid (3-1). In a clash between two title contenders, the Catalans came from behind to secure 3 points that allow them to extend their lead at the top.

Furthermore, this is the first positive result against a 'top' rival in 25/26, after defeats in the Champions League against PSG and Chelsea, along with the loss in El Clásico against Real Madrid in the League. In that regard, Hansi Flick did not hesitate to celebrate the step forward that coming back against Atlético on Tuesday represents"**This was the step forward I was looking for. Today we were very good, we improved a lot in all aspects**. Perhaps the first five minutes were controlled by Atlético, but then we controlled it," the manager explained at the post-match press conference.

Flick hopes for a turning point after Barça-Atlético

Likewise, Flick highlighted the confidence and morale boost that comes from winning a match like Tuesday's, where Barça was superior and knew how to endure the final stretch, when physical condition was a disadvantage

"We'll see if it's a turning point. I think it's been one of our best games, I really liked what I saw for the 90 minutes. We deserve the three points," added the Barça coach.

Individually, the work of Raphinha and Pedri stood out, who despite not yet being 100% physically, played at a very high level for 75 minutes."Rapha is a very important player for us. We saw it today, but we also saw it in the last game... **Pedri is an exceptional player. I'm happy he didn't need time to get back to his level**. He controlled the connection between defense and attack well," the German coach detailed.

Furthermore, he made it clear that the team needed changes in the final stretch to hold onto the result. "Those who came in connected. We played with five at the back in the final minutes. Everyone was very involved."

"I think our performance has been on another level, we fought together and it was fantastic"

Flick focuses on Betis and rules out thinking about the title

Although the victory allows Barcelona to go 6 points ahead of Atlético and, for now, 4 points ahead of Real Madrid in the lead, Hansi Flick believes there is still a long way to go in the league. Therefore, he focuses on a game-by-game basis, and now it's time to think exclusively about Betis.

"There's a long way to go. We're at the top of the table and I'm happy with how things are going, but we can't say we're at our peak. We always want to improve and learn, and that's our mentality and attitude," the manager assessed.

Regarding the team's current form, he added: "The defeats against PSG, Real Madrid, Chelsea... are things of the past. Today we saw a great performance from the team. We are focusing on the next match, which is also important."Flick also made it clear that Frenkie de Jong "did not sleep well" due to a fever and, therefore, decided to give him a rest, although he hopes to have him available on Saturday. Regarding Dani Olmo, he prefers to wait until the Terrassa native undergoes medical tests on Wednesday to determine the extent of his left shoulder injury.

Everything points to a dislocation, which would leave Olmo out for about a month. **Fermín López**, for his part, will also not be available against Betis due to a soleus injury that will also likely keep him out against Eintracht in the Champions League

"It's very important to get players back. Some are not yet at one hundred percent and we've had to substitute them. With the ball, we've controlled more and created more space. It's been very positive"