FC Barcelona resolved their first match without Pedri González with a victory against Elche (3-1). The midfielder will be out for around a month, and the Azulgrana team managed to secure 3 valuable points in Montjuïc thanks to their attacking trident: Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford scored the goals for the victory.
In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick primarily valued intensity and pressure as key factors in returning to the path of victory, after the defeat in the Clásico. Regarding Pedri's absence, the coach praised the work done by Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casadó, as '8' and '6', respectively.
"The most important thing is to go step by step. We know that everyone knows that Pedri is exceptional and we would always like to have him, but we have to manage him. The players have done well, but we can improve," explained the Barça coach.
Flick, satisfied with Barça's reaction against Elche
In that sense, Flick highlighted Barça's reaction to improve their performance compared to the last few league games. "We pressed as a team and had good possessions. I'm happy with what we did today. The first goals came from that pressure and I liked that," argued the man from Heidelberg.
Likewise, he avoided pointing to the defense, although Barça has now conceded in 8 consecutive matches. What the German coach did make clear is that his players must be more forceful. Hence the difference in managing the results.
"If we had both taken advantage of the opportunities, we would have finished 6 or 5 to 2. Today is one more step, we have two games before the break (Bruges and Celta) and we want to win them. The first one is Wednesday in the Champions League."
Praise for Rashford and Ferran, calm despite the injuries
Regarding individual performances, Hansi Flick once again praised the work of his forwards, mainly Marcus Rahsford and Ferran Torres. "Marcus is an incredible player and Ferran has had very good moments. I am very happy for both of them. That is the strength," he said regarding Sunday's goalscorers. A list to which Lamine Yamal is added, despite not yet being 100%.
Regarding the physical condition of the '10', he added: "He has to train, do treatment... he is doing it. I can't say that the injury is over, it comes and goes. And he must manage it." In turn, he clarified that Joan García will return after the break and how he manages the plague of injuries in the squad.
"Olmo and Lewandowski are back, but we're missing Joan García, Christensen, Raphinha... we're missing a lot of quality. But this week we've had very good training sessions, the best of the season. The activity and dynamics were different. We're going to keep moving forward, staying positive," the coach pointed out.