FC Barcelona now have a massive challenge to deal with in the form of Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. The side from Madrid is one of European football’s most in-form teams right now, while Flick’s team has recently been struggling. However, Barcelona will be looking to turn things around as soon as possible.
To truly accomplish that goal, however, this is perhaps the best place to start. Beating Atletico Madrid would not only provide Barcelona with some much-needed points, it would also directly hurt one of their direct rivals for the La Liga title this season as a consequence.
However, things are much easier said than done. For Hansi Flick’s team, it is absolutely essential that they do everything perfectly if they hope to get a good result against Diego Simeone’s team. For that reason, as highlighted by MARCA, Flick has already warned his players not to fall asleep against Atletico Madrid:
“They score a lot of goals in the final minutes, and we must be prepared.”
Statistically, it is true that the Madrid-based side has been quite effective when it comes to scoring late goals this season. To be precise, Atletico Madrid have scored 22 goals this season after the 75th minute across all competitions, and around half of those have come in stoppage time.
From games against the likes of Real Madrid to their fixtures in the Copa del Rey, this trend of scoring late goals has been a consistent one for Simeone’s side. However, for that exact reason, Flick has already warned his Barcelona players about this and does not want them to fall asleep at any point during the game.
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BILBAO, SPAIN - AUGUST 31: Diego Simeone, Head Coach of Atletico de Madrid, reacts prior to the LaLiga match between Athletic Club and Atletico de Madrid at Estadio de San Mames on August 31, 2024 in Bilbao, Spain.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 26: Hansi Flick, Head Coach of FC Barcelona, looks on prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 match between FC Barcelona and Stade Brestois 29 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on November 26, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 02: Former footballer and pundit, Joe Cole looks on prior to the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Arsenal FC at St James' Park on November 02, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
As for Simeone himself, he continues to shower praise upon Barcelona despite their frustrating form recently. However, the Argentinian coach also revealed recently that La Blaugrana do have some vulnerabilities as well that are created due to the way they play the game.