FC Barcelona have to get back into the swing of things earlier than the competition after the international break. Hansi Flick doesn’t mince his words about the fixture schedule.
On Wednesday, the day before FC Barcelona’s return to the league, Hansi Flick was invited to the press conference as usual. Unlike usual, however, the head coach of the Catalans was immediately on the ball.
The subject was this Thursday’s game against Osasuna, which the officials of both clubs had wanted to postpone again. In vain. “The players have played with their national teams, and that’s bad. Now we have to play against Osasuna, and we have to talk about whether it’s the right time,” Flick started.
But the former national coach thought further. The scheduling around the club’s crucial Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund on April 9 and 15 also bothers him greatly. “We play Leganes at 9 p.m., so we’ll be home too late. I’m not happy with that. There are other leagues that do it differently. But I can’t change it. That’s my personal opinion.”
Real Madrid recently complained about tight scheduling and, in the person of Carlo Ancelotti, announced that they would no longer compete if there were less than 72 hours between two games. Flick answered the obvious follow-up question in his own way: “We’ll play, we’re not looking for excuses. We are Barcelona, not Real Madrid. We are proud to be Barcelona.”
Barcelona can’t change the current situation. Flick is hoping for help “from above”: “Maybe UEFA or FIFA should say something.”
Raphinha and Araujo? “They won’t be in the squad either”
But until then, Barcelona will have to “bow” to the tight schedule. Initially, without the Brazilian Raphinha and the Uruguayan defensive leader Ronald Araujo. “They won’t play and they won’t be in the squad either,” Flick made clear with Osasuna in mind: “They’re out. The flight is long and the situation is not ideal. They need to recover and train, and then we’ll see on Sunday.”
Alongside Robert Lewandowski, Pau Cubarsi also returned to training on Wednesday. The centre back, who left the national team early, took part in the full training session. Flick, however, dismissed the idea: “Eric and Inigo Martinez will play, and Pau will sit on the bench. We need him, and I think it’s better if he rests for a day or two. He needs those days. The injury is not very serious, but he needs more recovery.”
