Flick talks Lamine, Olmo, Casado, De Jong, Tebas, referees ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

Barcelona will be aiming to take a step towards securing their second trophy of the season when they take on Atletico Madrid on Tuesday in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final.

The Blaugrana, having already won the Spanish Super Cup in Hansi Flick’s debut season at the club, will be eager to add more silverware by lifting the Copa del Rey.

For that to happen, they must first need to get past Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, who have already beaten them once this season in La Liga.

Ahead of the first leg tomorrow at Montjuic, Flick addressed the media, providing an update on Lamine Yamal’s fitness and discussing several other matters.

For starters, the German tactician touched upon tomorrow’s contest against Atletico Madrid, saying:

“It’s a new game, we are starting again from scratch. They are a great team, they have invested a lot, they have the best defence and in attack, incredible players. It will be a tough game.”

The Barcelona head coach then expressed cautious optimism when asked about Lamine Yamal’s availability after he missed training today.

“We have to wait and evaluate. I think he will be able to play, I have positive feelings,” he said.

The Barcelona manager then commented on the fixture schedule ahead for Barcelona as they take on Atletico tomorrow before facing Real Sociedad at the weekend, following which they face Benfica in the Champions League.

“‘From what I’ve heard, I don’t know if I’m sure, Benfica’s game has been rescheduled and will have a week to prepare for the game,” he noted.

“La Liga could change the calendar, but it’s not in our hands. In Germany you could talk to the federation, here too, I hope it can be improved for the future.”

With the refereeing in La Liga being the hottest topic in Spain at the moment, Flick gave his opinion on whether match officials should focus on protecting players like Lamine Yamal, who was on the receiving end of a brutal challenge against Las Palmas.

“I wouldn’t say that referees should protect one player in particular, everyone. The VAR should look at hard tackles to show reds to avoid these actions. We have to protect the players if there is a foul,” Flick said.

“It also happened to us with Dani and Casado. There should be more sensitivity about this. If they see a yellow card, the defenders might think more about it before making another foul,” he added.

“In Spain, one-on-one football is very popular, it’s a special characteristic, also in Barcelona, the fans like it a lot and we must take care of it.”

The Barcelona manager also confirmed that Dani Olmo is ready to start after his match-winning second-half display against Las Palmas, saying:

“I think yes, he is ready to be a starter and play 90 minutes. For me, the most important thing is that he can start from the beginning, we have to look after him and that’s what we’ve been doing. The goal he scored against Las Palmas was very important.”

Ready to start, says Flick. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)

Regarding La Liga president Javier Tebas’ comments about how Olmo should not be allowed to finish the season with Barcelona, he said:

“I don’t want to make any statements about it. He can play now and that’s what counts. The current situation is this, I’m very happy that he can play. We’ll see what happens, I’m always surprised by some of the things that happen in Spain and in relation to Barça.”

On who among Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casado will start in the second midfield pivot position, Flick stated:

“In this position, we have very good quality. Today, they are all at a very good level. They can bring us different things. We have to decide what will work best for us, but we will do it tomorrow.”

On the upcoming matches, which could make or break Barça’s season, he remarked: “It’s always like that. You guys probably know more about the season than I do. We go all out in every game.

“Tomorrow’s game is the most important and we want to show what we are capable of. The attitude and the atmosphere are very remarkable and very good.”

Regarding the Atletico Madrid semi-final first leg being at home and the second being away, he noted:

“I don’t think about these situations. We want to win every game, I don’t care if it’s at home or away. We can’t say that with one point we are satisfied. We play at home with a full stadium, we need the fans tomorrow to face such a tough opponent.”

On the defeat against the Rojiblancos in La Liga earlier this season, he said: “The positive thing we learned is that we can play very good football, we showed a very high level. We could have scored one or two more goals.

“When we have chances, we have to score. In a match, what matters is to score more than the opponent.”

Reflecting on the team’s performances so far this season, Flick highlighted the unity and camaraderie within the squad as well as his support staff, saying:

“What I like most here is that we are united, all of us. We all like to wear these colours. We are practically a family. That’s the most important aspect. Everyone knows what to do to help the team.

“I am the manager, but we have wonderful experts who help the players to get the best out of them. It’s very nice, it’s not usual, we have a very young squad.

“We have 22 outfield players who are in good shape and it is not always easy. It shows that everyone is doing a great job.”

Finally, touching on his birthday today, as he turned 60 years old, Flick stated: “A year older than yesterday. Only the number is bigger. I feel fine. I didn’t sleep too much tonight, maybe it’s an age thing (laughs).

“I’m in good health, I have a wonderful family and I’m at a great club.”

Source: SPORT