Flick: 'We will have to be at our best against a great team'
Hansi Flick cast his eye over Tuesday's game against Atlético Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou in the pre-games press conference on Monday at the Ciutat Esportiva. The Barça boss is happy to be back on top of the table after Saturday's win over Alavés but also recognised that his team will need to be at their best against Diego Simeone's team.
"We know we are up against a fantastic team with a lot of quality, one of the best in Europe with one of the best coaches. For that reason it will be a tough encounter," said Flick of the upcoming game against an in-form Atlético.
Despite having returned to the top of La Liga at the weekend, Flick exuded caution. "We are back at the top and we are happy about that, it's where we want to be but the important thing is to stay there until the end of the season. We have to keep working hard and give our best. We are leaders but at the moment we are not at our best. We need to move forward to to get back playing our best football," confessed the German.
"I think we are committing too many mistakes, despite having the quality to control matches. It's something we have missed in recent matches but we can do it and we are working towards that."
Individuals
On individual players, Hansi Flick revealed that Pedri could be 'a starter, it's an option' and also commented that Raphinha was in shape to play all 90 minutes. However, the coach also confirmed that Ronald Araujo would be still be missing for the game against Atlético.
Finally, when asked about keeper Joan Garcia, Flick admitted: "From the first day I saw his quality. He has a great future ahead of him and his arrival was a great move. He will bring us security for years to come."