The match itself saw Barcelona record a comprehensive 5-0 win over their Basque opponents. The result stands as one of the team's largest margins of victory in the current campaign. The performance came shortly after the Catalan derby against Espanyol, a match which Flick referenced in his post-match analysis.
The manager contrasted the display against Athletic Club with the team's showing in that previous fixture.
“For me always, my thought is the next game. But I appreciate what we did today because against Espanyol we hadn’t been good,” Flick stated. “I like that we play as a team, together. It’s fantastic to win 5-0. But it’s only one game and the final will be different.”
Flick also spoke at length about the defensive aspect of the performance. While the five goals garnered attention, the German coach highlighted the clean sheet as a significant factor in the result.
“Today we managed to be in control. We needed a few minutes to start working, then we played well. I’m happy because we controlled the game well. We kept the ball and I like that we defended until the end to keep a clean sheet,” Flick explained.
Barca will be eagerly awaiting the result of the semi-final between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid on Thursday to determine who they will meet in the final.