Barcelona consolidated their place as La Liga leaders on Saturday, as they defeated Villarreal 4-1 at the Spotify Camp Nou thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal (x3) and Robert Lewandowski. The Catalans are now four points clear of Real Madrid, who are not in action until Monday night against Getafe.
As per Marca, head coach Hansi Flick delivered his assessment of the result and performance. He was pleased with the manner of the victory, although he believes that a better showing will be needed on Tuesday when Barcelona host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.
“Of course we can do things better, but I really liked what I saw today. We played big. Tuesday will be different, but we will have to play at this level. We pressed very well and very quickly. We have won the duels. I really liked what I saw.”
Flick was also full of praise for Lamine Yamal, who notched his first career hat-trick during his 73 minutes on the pitch.
“We tried to take care of Lamine, but the rest of the team was also very good. We pressed Villarreal well, winning direct duels and it was the key to today’s game, pressing well and fast. It was a great performance.”
Flick looks ahead to Atleti showdown
Barcelona will now turn their attention to the clash against Atleti, during which they will hope to overturn a four-goal deficit from the first leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Flick has called upon the home supporters inside the Spotify Camp Nou to get right between his players from the first whistle.
“We want everyone in the stadium so we can fight together and try to make a comeback against Atletico Madrid. We’ll battle for 90 minutes or longer. We’ll give everything and see what happens.”
