Hansi Flick talks Fati, Raphinha, Frenkie de Jong after 5-0 win against Young Boys

FC Barcelona secured their first three points in the newly formatted UEFA Champions League with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Swiss side BSC Young Boys.

This performance marked a notable improvement from their previous outing, where they suffered a 4-2 defeat against Osasuna in La Liga over the weekend. A win in this UCL match was crucial to lift the team’s morale and get their campaign back on track.

As SPORT has reported, Hansi Flick was rather happy with the result, but still asked for more improvements as he spoke to the press after the match. Commenting on the team’s performance, the German tactician said:

“We need to start matches stronger, improve our passing, and enhance the team’s overall dynamic. We’ve managed to do that as the minutes went by. Our goal is to be better with every game.”

Scoring additional goals could be vital in the new UCL format, and Flick voiced his disappointment with his team’s approach in the later stages of the match, despite the impressive 5-0 victory:

“Nobody knows how things will go in this new Champions League format. There wasn’t any special directive; the idea was to try to create chances. What we wanted was to win. In the final minutes, I would have liked to score more goals, but that’s also how the players enjoy playing.”

Raphinha was once again excellent last night. Flick commended his performance in the presser, but believed the result was more of a reflection of the work put in by the entire team:

“Raphinha played very well, but more important than individual performances is the team. We are satisfied with Raphinha, but without the good performance of his teammates, he wouldn’t be able to play at this level.”

The German tactician also made some comments about Ansu Fati’s position, who played in Pedri’s place although he usually thrives at the wing:

“It’s easy to understand. The position in which Ansu played was because we wanted to give Pedri a rest, and we thought De Jong needed to play fewer minutes. Ansu is doing very well in training. He’s at a very high level. We need time for him to get back to his best form. He is eager to improve, very professional, and he deserves our patience.”

Lastly, Hansi Flick believed Frenkie de Jong had also shown some promising signs with his return to the pitch: “He put the jersey back on the field, felt good, and played again. He’s done a lot and ran well, showing positive signs in his return.”

Now having gotten the first points in UCL with Barcelona, Flick will now be looking to prepare for the league game against Alaves. After that, there will be two weeks of international break, but Barcelona have some crunch matches awaiting them after the end of this break.