Hansi Flick: 'Anything is possible'
Hansi Flick is approaches realistic about his team's chances in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals with Atlético Madrid, but also had a message full of ambition and hope in his pre-game press conference. “We have the hunger to achieve it and I want to see desire" he said. "But we must also keep a clear head.”
Not impossible
The coach acknowledged the scale of the task: “We are four goals behind and we have to make the impossible possible. That is the objective. It’s not easy. However, we will not give up. It is important to keep a clean sheet, but we must believe in our strength and that we can achieve it ... You must always believe. For example, in each half we need to score two goals.”
“We have to be smart. We must press them, win the duels and make things difficult for them. We cannot lose possession, as they are very dangerous in transitions.” The coach also pointed out that the match against Villarreal left positive feelings and emphasised that the team must function as a unit: “We have to play as one, especially tomorrow.”
Although he recalled that the club is familiar with other great comebacks, he wanted to keep the focus on the present: “We know the history, but our job is to do things right tomorrow ... We are playing at home and we want to win, but to reach the final we have to do more.”
Key role of the fans
The supporters will be another decisive factor. “I’m sure the fans will give us their support. For me, it’s important that everyone who wants to cheer can do so. We have to establish a perfect connection between the team and the supporters. When people come to the stadium and support us, I love it.”
Absences
Finally, regarding injuries, Flick admitted they are not positive news, but they must be accepted: “We will have to manage Lewy’s absence. We haven’t had much luck. Losing a player like him, and the others who cannot be there, is a problem, but the team handles it well.”