Barcelona manager Hansi Flick emphasised the importance of the team’s victory over Atlético Madrid, whilst downplaying the severity of the injuries sustained by Barça players during the match.
Flick said, in comments highlighted by the Spanish newspaper Marca: “We controlled the game and secured three crucial points.”
He added: “Gerard Martín’s sending-off? The challenge didn’t warrant a red card. As far as I’m concerned, Gerard touched the ball and there was no foul to begin with.”
Regarding the injuries to Marc Bernal and Ronald Araujo, the German manager commented: “We’ll have to wait until tomorrow, but the injuries don’t look too serious.”
He continued: “We played against a team down to ten men, and they defended well, but I feel we controlled the match and tried everything to score the second goal. We’ve secured the three points; it’s not easy to play here in this atmosphere with such charged emotions, and I’m very happy with this victory.”
He continued: “The competition in La Liga? We never look at the other teams; ultimately, we must focus on ourselves and do our job. There are things we can improve on, and Araujo has been struggling with fitness issues, as has Bernat, and we hope it’s nothing serious.”
He added: “Discussing Lewandowski’s contract renewal is premature at the moment; we still have eight La Liga matches ahead of us, and we must be ready and focus on them.”
He continued: “Real Madrid’s slip-up? As you know, I don’t concern myself with other teams; my focus is solely on our own side. The first match after the international break is always difficult, and on Tuesday we face another tricky encounter against Atlético. We’re happy but we haven’t gone overboard with the celebrations.”
On the future of Marcus Rashford, Flick commented: “We must focus first on the current season and then we’ll see what happens; he’s a player who has already proven his quality.”
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