Barcelona coach Hansi Flick spoke ahead of Sunday’s highly anticipated Clásico against Real Madrid, emphasizing his team’s focus on winning the match while largely avoiding detailed commentary on the growing tensions surrounding Madrid.
“We want to win at home,” Flick said. “We have a fantastic team and the fans support us. For them, it’s also a Clásico and they’ll want to win. That’s normal.
“In the end, El Clásico is important for everyone. For them or for us. We’re playing at home and we want to win.”
Barcelona enter the match with an opportunity to win La Liga, and Flick made no attempt to hide that objective.
“I want to concentrate on the match,” he said. “It’s not a normal match. But I’m not going to say it’s the most important. It’s important for the fans, the club, the players, and us.
“We want to win our second title in a row. That’s not common in Spain. That’s what we want to do. We’re focused on our performance, on how we want to play.”
One of the most notable moments of the press conference came when Flick was asked about Kylian Mbappé. Despite the rivalry between the clubs, the German had glowing praise for the Real Madrid superstar.
“Mbappé is one of the best in the world,” Flick said. “He has incredible quality. He’s very dangerous in any situation.
“In front of goal, with his skill, he’s the best in my opinion.”
The Barcelona coach was also questioned about the reports of tension and conflict inside the Real Madrid dressing room, including recent stories surrounding disputes between players.
While Flick admitted he had been somewhat surprised by the situation, he made it clear that he had little interest in becoming involved in discussions about Madrid’s internal problems.
“It happens all over the world,” he said. “Not just at Real Madrid. I was a little surprised, but I don’t care, it’s not my club. It’s not my team. I don’t think about it.
“The most important thing, and what I appreciate most about this club, is that we all pull together,” he explained. “When something happens, we all do the same.”
“These things happen in football, in life. It’s not normal, but it happens. Communication is key.
“I don’t want to talk about Real Madrid and what’s happening there; it’s not my job,” he said. “But it’s true, it’s all about the team. The ‘us.’ From my point of view, that’s important.”
The press conference concluded with a slightly awkward moment when Flick was asked about Juanito. The German coach appeared unsure of how to respond.
“Juanito? I don’t know how to answer this question,” he admitted. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”