Hansi Flick: 'I'm happy with the team'
There are only a few hours to go before the Spanish Super Cup final gets under way. Once again, the first piece of silverware of the season will have the unmistakable scent of a Clásico. FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will face each other in Jeddah and although it's the same pairing as in the last three editions, as Hansi Flick pointed out “every game is always different” and starts from scratch when the referee blows the whistle.
The FC Barcelona coach was speaking to the media in the press room at King Abdullah Sports City, the venue for the final. Despite the impressive 5-0 winning display produced by his side in the semi-final against Athletic Club, the German was keen to underline the difficulty of the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s the Clásico and I want to see the same thing as against Athletic Club" he said. "That we play as a team, united. That’s what I want to see. I want them to show me their best on the pitch. For me, that’s the most important thing.”
“A final is a final, and a match against Real Madrid is completely different. I don’t want to hear any talk about favourites. What we want is to put on a great performance and play good football. We’re focused on the match and I trust my players to do well. We’ll try to give our best version to win.”
“It’s just one match. Afterwards we’ll be back competing and focusing on whatever comes next, whatever the outcome of this Super Cup. But of course we want to win, because it will give us confidence. My team is very focused and I’m very happy with what I’m seeing from them.”
“Madrid are a fantastic team, one of the best. They have world-class players of the highest quality. But I’m focused on my team, because we want to win this title ... The most important thing is the team, not who plays or what position they play in.”
Meeting with Xabi Alonso
After the press conference, and as is customary in competitions of this kind, the build-up also featured the traditional meeting between the two coaches: Hansi Flick and Xabi Alonso. The Barça and Madrid managers, who last crossed paths around three months ago at the Bernabéu in the league Clásico, posed for photographs together with the Spanish Super Cup trophy.
More news here