Hansi Flick spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of the Copa del Rey match against Racing Santander. The coach assessed how the Blaugrana dressing room is facing the last-16 tie after winning the Supercopa de Espana last Sunday in Jeddah, but also referred to the arrival of Cancelo and… the dismissal of Xabi Alonso.
“They will be motivated. They are a young, brave team that plays well… There will be excitement in the stadium to welcome us. This is the Cup. We have to be ready from the start.”
Racing is a young, brave team that plays well… There will be excitement in the stadium to welcome us. This is the Cup: you have to be ready from the start
Cancelo
“I think I already said it, in Arabia. We have to decide, and in the axis of the defense, with Cubarsi, Eric, Gerard, Ronald…, we are doing things well. Gerard can also play in different places, and Eric. He can give us quality, and he can give us a lot, also in attack, in the last third to overcome the opponent. It’s a very good option.”
Goalkeeper
“I think Joan will play, but we’ll see tomorrow.”
I think Joan will play, but we’ll see tomorrow
Xabi Alonso
“This is football. It’s not something I’m worried about. I have a very good relationship with Xabi, we knew each other from his time at Leverkusen and we kept in touch. He’s a fantastic coach. This is football. I wish him all the best. We have to move on and think about what and how to improve. But he’s a fantastic coach and I’m sure he has a great future.”
I have a very good relationship with Xabi, we knew each other from his time at Leverkusen and we kept in touch. He is a fantastic coach
Personal tranquility
“You never know what can happen. It’s about winning, football is like that, especially at a big club like this. But the feeling is that we work together and this is like a family. The president said it in Saudi Arabia. We talk about family, the children, sisters, parents come… what we have built is special. I feel it as a family, and in Arabia I felt it.”
As a coach, you never know what can happen to you
Coaches
“We talk about football and we can’t change these situations. The club and the team must trust you. I don’t want to talk about Real Madrid. The coach’s job is very difficult, we take on a lot of responsibilities… but it’s part of our job.”
Cancelo
“He could play a few minutes. It’s something we have in mind.”
Cancelo could play a few minutes
Ter Stegen
“We will decide tomorrow, when we get together. I have nothing more to say.”
His streak against Real Madrid
“Sometimes you have to enjoy situations, things can change quickly. The people of Barcelona are fantastic. It’s fantastic to live here. We know our responsibility and we work hard. We won the first title, but it’s in the past. Racing will want to beat us and they did very well against Villarreal, who are third. We have to play at our best.”
As a coach, you have to enjoy the situations, things can change
Saudi Arabia’s last minutes
“I’m happy with Joan Garcia in goal, he’s there to save what comes his way. It was a very good final, we played a good game. And we saw the quality of Real Madrid, and with one less it was not easy. We are glad that they did not score the third goal. We have a very good goalkeeper who saved us on several occasions, also in the final. And we won 3-2. I’m very happy with what I saw in Arabia. The team is connected, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is very good. But we have to keep working.”
I’m happy with Joan Garcia in goal, he’s there to save whatever comes his way
Ronald Araujo
“We must decide if he has minutes. There is one more day to decide. There are tired players. There are 24 hours to think about it. He has trained well and could play some minutes without problems.”
Arbeloa
“When we play against them, I’ll be able to analyze it. I’ll have time to do that.”
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