Hansi Flick bemoaned LaLiga’s schedule, with the Barcelona head coach believing his players needed more time to rest before their clash with Celta Vigo.
The Blaugrana – fresh from booking their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate victory over Borussia Dortmund – can move seven points clear with victory over Celta on Saturday.
However, Flick was left baffled by the decision to allocate the match the early kick-off slot, just over 48 hours after his side returned home from Germany.
The Barca boss is adamant the fixture should have been scheduled for later in the day, in order to provide more protection to his players.
“Every league protects their clubs, especially when they play in the semi-finals of the Champions League,” Flick told reporters during his pre-match press conference. “It’s unbelievable, we have no time to rest.
“For me, the guys responsible for that – I want to discuss it with them. I don’t want to make excuses or complain. I’m happy we’re not playing on Sunday at 2pm against [Real] Valladolid.
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“But why can’t we play at 6pm like we normally do? Give me one reason. To me, it’s a joke and it affects Spanish football. The rest of the teams in the European leagues benefit.
“I’m speechless because this situation is unbelievable. In the Bundesliga or Premier League, they take care of their clubs.”
Nevertheless, Flick is focused on the visit of their opponents, who occupy seventh place and are well in the hunt to secure European qualification, and praised the work of head coach Claudio Giraldez.
The Barca boss wants his players to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat to Dortmund, who they beat 4-0 in the opening leg, by producing “our highest level”.
“I have the highest respect for his work, he’s coached a great team. It has nothing to do with his age,” Flick said of Giraldez. “Celta have a clear idea of how they want to play, they’re very brave in their build-up.
“For us, it’s important we show our strengths; maybe what we missed in Dortmund. We spoke about the situations we had in Dortmund, and we have to do better tomorrow. We have to play at our highest level.”
