Flick talks Yamal, Lewandowski, Araujo, Pena, Raphinha, Kounde ahead of Barcelona vs Getafe

Barcelona will be gunning for their seventh win in La Liga tomorrow night when they host Getafe at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Montjuic.

Hansi Flick’s men have made a sensational start to the new season, winning each of their first six La Liga games, with the only defeat this campaign coming against AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League.

Having established a four-point lead at the top already, Barcelona will be eager to extend their perfect start to the league campaign with another win.

Ahead of the match, manager Flick spoke to the media in his press conference, and discussed the club’s plans for replacing Marc-Andre ter Stegen and other issues.

Kicking things off, the Barcelona manager gave an insight into how the team plan on tackling Getafe tomorrow in Montjuic, saying:

“We will have to do things differently and adapt to the opponent. We have prepared a plan and we hope to be able to carry it out tomorrow.”

One of the major talking points at Barça right now is Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s season-ending injury and whether the club want to sign a replacement for the German or not.

However, Flick insisted that at this point they have full faith in second-choice goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who will be asked to deputise for the club captain.

“Inaki is doing very well, he is very professional and has trained very hard. He is focused, despite being an assistant coach. We trust him,” said Flick.

“We will see what we do, we also have very young players in defence. At the moment, we do not feel under pressure and we trust Inaki.”

On the profile of the goalkeeper that they would consider if they do decide to go after a replacement for Ter Stegen, the manager said:

“We will look at the options we have. There is no pressure at the moment, we will speak to De la Fuente, who has been coaching world-class goalkeepers for many years. He will be the first person I will speak to. We will see.”

Flick also reserved some praise for star man Robert Lewandowski, who appears to be back at his best, having already scored six goals this season.

“I’m not surprised at all. He’s scored six goals and we know he can do very well. We need the players to be there for him and to be able to score. We want to play well, also for the fans. Now we’ll go home after 25 days and meet the Barça fans again,” he said.

Lamine Yamal, at just 17 years old, has become an indispensable member of this Barcelona team. But the youngster will need his game-time to be managed carefully. And when asked if there are plans to rest him, Flick said:

“We’ll see. We have all the data on the players, he doesn’t need to rest at the moment. He feels fine. We’ll keep an eye on him, but I don’t think he needs to rest tomorrow.

“It’s also important to get off to a good start at home, with a great starting line-up. We have to keep performing like this and show our fans that.”

Yamal was on the receiving end of a rash challenge by a Villarreal player last time out, and Flick pointed out that the youngster, and all players in general, need to be protected more, saying:

“It’s good to look after these players in particular and everyone in general. I don’t think it’s a refereeing problem. He was booked for that challenge, that’s fine.”

On whether the La Masia sensation is the best in the world in his position right now, Flick said: “I think quality is not related to age. At 17, he is doing incredible things. He could be the best footballer in the future.”

Following the thumping win against Villarreal, Flick was asked if fans are seeing the best version of this Barcelona team, to which he replied saying there is still a lot of room for improvement.

“We watched and analysed the game against Villarreal and we saw things that could be improved. We’re not at the end of the road yet, there’s always room for improvement,” remarked the Barça head coach.

Having opted to rest Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde in the last game, the Barcelona boss was asked if he planned more rotations in defence tomorrow against Getafe.

In response, he said: “We’re thinking about rotations there. Jules is in top form and I’ll talk to Inigo tomorrow.”

The German tactician also provided an update on the recovery of injured defensive stalwart Ronald Araujo, stating that he was looking forward to having the Uruguayan back soon.

“He’s progressing well. We’re waiting for him at the moment, I don’t know exactly when. I’m very happy to see him when he comes into the dressing room. He’s one of our captains and it will be good to get him back,” Flick stated.

Concluding, Flick praised Raphinha for his contributions on and off the field at Barcelona, saying:

“I am not surprised. I think he is doing his best for the team on the pitch and he also started the dynamic that we need. He’s funny, people laugh with him; for me it’s very important.

“I hope all his teammates feel that I have confidence in them, not only with Raphinha. We give them clear ideas of how we want to play, but it is also necessary to have a welcoming atmosphere.”

Source: SPORT