Flick says Barcelona must look inward after Real Madrid stumble

Hansi Flick says Barcelona’s focus must remain on their own performance as they prepare to face Valencia, despite Real Madrid’s defeat by Real Betis in La Liga on Friday.

Real Madrid created several significant chances but were beaten by Real Betis in the fourth round of the Spanish top flight. Flick said the result underlined how difficult Barcelona’s next fixture could be, rather than providing any reason for his side to become distracted.

“Is Real Madrid’s match a warning before facing Valencia? When you watch last night’s game, you see that Real Madrid played well and had big chances, but that is football,” Flick said at his pre-match news conference.

“We have to focus on ourselves and our style, and I am sure tomorrow’s match will be difficult for us.”

Barcelona’s game against Valencia comes as Flick continues to shape the club’s leadership group. The German manager explained that he wanted two captains to be selected by him, with three more chosen by the dressing room.

“I wanted to have two captains of my choice, and three others chosen by the dressing room,” he said. “I chose Raphinha and Pedri, while the others were Frenkie de Jong, Lamine and Eric.”

Asked about the reasoning behind those decisions, Flick said changes to the squad had influenced the final group.

“Araujo and Ter Stegen have left, while Lamine and Eric have come in, and Frenkie continuing is natural,” he said. “I did not want to decide all five captains, but I wanted to identify these two.

“I think we have a good group of players who have leadership qualities. I see it as a good way forward, but there will be moments when we have to talk.”

Flick was also positive about the quality of Barcelona’s squad compared with last season, pointing to the standards being set during training.

“What I see in training, as I have said, I like, and that is a good thing,” he said. “The way we press, pass the ball and compete is excellent. Every rondo training session is being played at the highest level.

“But in the end, the important thing is to win matches and achieve titles. In any case, the quality of the squad is excellent.”

Barcelona are also aiming to maintain a perfect record before the first international break. Flick said the team had the ability and commitment to achieve that target.

“We will work towards it,” he said. “We have the quality and the spirit, there is a good working atmosphere, everyone is completely focused, and they are enjoying our journey in this direction.”

The manager also addressed Barcelona’s record spending on transfers. Flick said the decisions had been made collectively and that he was satisfied with the outcome, despite the quality available from the club’s La Masia academy.

“We made the decisions together and I am happy about that,” he said. “It is not easy for me, because there are players from La Masia who have very high quality, and we decided that perhaps something extra was needed.

“We have big targets this season. It looks good, and we are 100% convinced that we can achieve them.”