In the press conference ahead of Barcelona’s clash against Atalanta, Hansi Flick answered some questions that fans were curious about particularly his decision to replace Inaki Pena with Wojciech Szczęsny.
FLICK: “What Atalanta has accomplished in recent years is incredible. They play great football, show a lot of courage, and score plenty of goals. We’ll need to stay focused.”
FLICK: “The Champions League is the toughest competition to win. The level is very high, and it’s important for us to get the win tomorrow and finish strong.”
FLICK on Frenkie: “I am happy with him. Because as you can see in the last matches he played really well. This is what I want from him”.
FLICK: “Against teams from Italy it’s always difficult to play because they really defend very well. It’s not easy to play against Atalanta, they play one-against-one on the whole field. In the build-up, you are always under pressure.”
FLICK: “I have a lot of respect for Gasperini and the way he does his job at Atalanta. What he does is incredible. I think he has now been with Atalanta for more than eight years and you can see what happens when a club trusts a good coach.”
FLICK on Szczesny – Pena decision: “It always is, it’s difficult. The goalkeeper is very special. It’s one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make.”
FLICK: “The goalkeepers? Well, I’m aware of what’s happening. My job is to make decisions. For me, Szczesny is an experienced player and also has a strong personality. But they are both great goalkeepers. My decision came after consulting with my team and the technical staff.”
FLICK: “It’s always difficult to play against Italian teams because they defend very well. But Atalanta, as you know, play man-to-man all over the pitch. So it’s not easy to play against them.”
FLICK: “Lookman not playing? Of course, when you lose an important player it’s not easy. But I think Gasperini knows his team very well. For me, I usually don’t focus on one or two players, I always look at the team as a whole and how they perform.”
