Barcelona’s head coach Hansi Flick has emphasized the importance of maintaining focus following his team’s impressive 4-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday. It was at home at Barcelona’s Camp Nou, where the team displayed their attackers’ attacking talents and defenders’ defensive talents. Despite the large cushion, Flick is still understandably wary as they look ahead to their second leg in Germany next week.
For Flick, there was no understating the importance of the win but he was speedy in quashing any chatter of a semi-final qualification being a foregone conclusion. He first noted the beauty of football and its unpredictability. He stressed that Barcelona need to repeat the same performance witnessed in Dortmund in order to go deep into the tournament.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no… We are definitely not qualified yet! You never know what’s going to happen because football is just a crazy sport,” – Hansi Flick
Impressive Performance and Key Players
Barcelona’s attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal played a crucial role in the team’s dominating display. Lewandowski netted a brace against his old side and compatriots, while Raphinha hit the ground running with an early goal to open proceedings. Yamal sealed the win even further with a goal in the final minutes of the game.
Flick praised his attackers for their impact but emphasized that all positions must work together and he’s right.
“(Lewandowski, Yamal and Raphinha) are brilliant and very important for us, but so is our defence and those who come in from the bench,” – Hansi Flick
Coach Wilmer Cabrera praised his defenders for earning their first clean sheet (no goals scored by the opponent) of the match. He noted that despite playing at a high level, there were areas for improvement that could enhance their performance in future matches.
Defensive Strength Against Speedy Opposition
Although they were up against a speedy squad Flick admitted that Barcelona’s approach on defense was a scary good sight to behold. He admitted that although Dortmund is very quick in sports terms, his side was able to control well overall for 90 minutes. The clean sheet served as proof of how effective Barcelona was tactically on the defensive side of the ball.
“We played at a very high level, but we did make some mistakes and we can improve. Dortmund have very fast players but we defended really well. I am very happy,” – Hansi Flick
Barcelona has not tasted defeat since the end of December and is still very much alive for a treble this season. The next meeting in Dortmund will be important for both sides. They are in a fierce battle for a place in the Champions League semi-final, Europe’s most valuable club competition.
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