MADRID, 15 (EUROPA PRESS)
FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has stated that he trusts the club to ensure all players are registered before the start of LaLiga EA Sports, although he acknowledged that he is "not" "happy with the situation." He also noted that last season's achievements "are not final," but rather part of the team's "progress."
"It's not a situation I'm too happy about, but I have faith in the club. We have to wait until tomorrow. Last season was like that. We're focusing on what's in our hands," he declared in a press conference ahead of this Saturday's match against RCD Mallorca in Palma.
Regarding Joan García, he emphasized that he's "a fantastic goalkeeper" and that the decision to bring him in was made by "everyone." "Tek Szczesny is also a great midwife and supports all the players. I'm happy with my situation in goal," he stated, before discussing Marc-André Ter Stegen's situation. "We all talk, and the most important thing is that Marc returns and can play at this level. He's shown that for many years here, he's a fantastic goalkeeper, but it's very important that he returns. Everyone at the club helps and we're all by his side," he emphasized.
On the other hand, he praised the departure of Iñigo Martínez. "I'm not happy that he's gone, because he's a great player. He has a great personality. He followed our philosophy and was one of our leaders. I appreciate him, not only as a player, but also as a person in the locker room. I wish him all the best," he stated.
In this sense, he believes Gerard Martín could fill the center-back position left by the Basque player. "I appreciate what I see in Gerard. Last season, at left-back, he played very well; he's improved a lot. And when he played at center-back, he also played very well, so he's a good option," he stated.
He also spoke about Lamine Yamal's form. "Lamine is part of this team, and of course, a big part of it. What I see is that he's training very well, not only with the ball, but also without it. He has a lot of room for improvement. I'm 100% sure he'll have a great season. It's not important how many goals he scores, it's important that we win as a team," he said.
Regarding Marc Bernal, he downplayed the fact that he could be sidelined for a few more weeks. "When he got injured, Dr. Pruna told me he'd be out for a year due to his age. I hope he has more than 15 years of career left, whether he's two or three weeks younger or more. He's on the right track. We're happy with him, and he's working very hard to get back. I think he'll be ready soon," he expressed.
The German coach also highlighted Fermín López's "spectacular" season. "We have different players with different qualities in many positions. Dani Olmo can play in this position; he's also a fantastic player. Every player feels they're important. I'm very happy with him now; to be honest, I wasn't that happy in preseason, but he's improved in the last two weeks. He showed the good energy he has against Como," he acknowledged.
He also explained that they are "working very hard" to improve on last season's achievements. "The players are very focused, and the quality I can see in training is what I expected. We started our mission last season and we want to continue. When you win three titles, it's not the end, it's just a small step forward. We're focused on winning every game; it's all about winning, and I think we're on the right track. But we also know the opponents are very good in LaLiga, and we have to give our all," he stated.
On another note, he acknowledged that he hasn't yet considered the possibility of playing the LaLiga match against Villarreal in the United States. "It's not 100% certain, so why think about it? I'm focused on the next game," he explained.
"It's always good to start with wins, but what happened in November last year wasn't good. The most important thing is that we have a wealth of experience, and we have to have confidence in our mission, our style, and how we want to play. Everyone has to have self-confidence; we never lost it last season, so we have to maintain it this season," he continued.
Finally, regarding his goals for this season, Flick insisted that "it's not about titles" but rather "the end of the road." "For me, the most important thing is the progress we've made. We've always been improving, and we have plenty of room to improve and learn more. We're on the right track, but it's a long road to the end of the season," he concluded.
