Hansi Flick says Barcelona’s focus is trophies despite record-equalling start

Hansi Flick says Barcelona’s priority is winning trophies, rather than simply matching records, after they equalled the best start to a La Liga season with a 5-2 victory over Real Betis.

Barcelona made it 11 wins from their first 11 competitive matches of the season for the first time since 1923-24, while their victory at Estadio Benito Villamarin ended Real Betis’ unbeaten home run in La Liga.

Flick’s side also handed Real Betis their first defeat in all competitions since a 4-2 loss to Sporting Braga in April. Their previous home defeat in La Liga had come against Barcelona, who won 5-3 in December.

Asked about equalling the record for the best start in La Liga history, Flick said: “It is good, but we have to win trophies. Our focus is only on winning titles.”

He added: “We have to wait until the end of the season to see whether we are able to lift the cups. Breaking records is good, but the mentality of our team is based on winning trophies.”

Barcelona were in control for long periods against Real Betis and scored five times, with their players maintaining their intensity throughout the match.

“I think we managed to control the game well again,” Flick said. “That is the way we want to play football. We scored goals and our players kept running for 90 minutes. They did a great job.”

The German coach said Barcelona had expected a difficult challenge despite the convincing scoreline.

“It was not an easy game, and we knew that before kick-off,” he said. “We expected a match like this.”

He added: “In the end, we also performed at a very high level, and I think we deserved to win.”

Flick also praised Lamine Yamal after substituting the teenager during the match.

“When I took Lamine off, I told him that I was very proud of him and that he had played a great game,” Flick said.

The match also brought a landmark for Raphinha, who equalled Neymar’s appearance record to become the fifth-most capped Brazilian for Barcelona, with 186 appearances.

Lamine Yamal became the first player in Europe’s top five leagues to reach 10 assists this season. He is also the leading goal contributor across those leagues in all competitions, with nine goals and 10 assists.

Barcelona’s start has therefore combined an historic run of results with a series of individual milestones, although Flick insists the campaign will ultimately be judged by the trophies they win.