Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was coy on his plans for their clash with Osasuna on Saturday night, after an exhausting win over Benfica on Wednesday night. The Blaugrana were down to ten men for over 70 minutes, but managed to come through courtesy of fine performances from Wojciech Szczesny and Pedri.
Of course El Sadar was the site of the first defeat for Flick as Barcelona manager, going down 4-2 to a Bryan Zaragoza-inspired Rojillo. However the German coach believes it will be a different game this time round at Montjuic
“It will be different because we are playing away, there have been many changes. It is important to have the best possible team on the field. Now we are at another level in terms of team performance. I have a positive approach for tomorrow’s game,” he explained to the press.
Flick gave little away in terms of what changes he would make, but he is looking to rotate somewhat. In particular, after running more than anyone else on Wednesday, and reportedly finishing with muscle discomfort, some are wondering whether Pedri may be benched.
Gavi and Balde trained normally ahead of the Osasuna match. @mundodeportivo
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 7, 2025
“We have not yet decided how many we will do, but we should do some. It is important, but for us the important thing is to have our best possible team on the pitch. We look for that, and we will do so tomorrow too. I also think we have another level that the team can perform at, and that makes me really positive about tomorrow.”
After dropping Inaki Pena for Szczesny, and with the Polish goalkeeper making several mistakes early on, Flick was heavily criticised. Yet following his performance in Lisbon, Flick was invited to take credit for his call.
“We’ll see tomorrow, he’s a great professional, his attitude is incredible every day, he recovered well in training. He trains at the highest level, and plays the same. He gives us a lot of strength and tomorrow we’ll decide if he plays on how he feels.”
🗣️Flick on resting Pedri pic.twitter.com/k3EA4o0czv
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“He did very well, as did the other players. It’s his job and everything is very clear. This is why Tek is number one right now.”
“When you see players how they have played before, how you train, you decide, together with what the staff says. We value the performance they can offer. All the coaches understood that he could reach this level.”
Flick did not take full credit for it though either, noting that the decision-making process is much more democratic than some might think.
“I’m not the guy who decides everything, you know. It’s not my way of working, I prefer to ask the other coaches, to have their opinions, and then to make a decision. Yes, of course I decide things, it’s not just me.”
