La Liga 2024/25: Barcelona unhappy with recent run but will fight to the end, says Flick
La Liga 2024/25: Barcelona unhappy with recent run but will fight to the end, says Flick
Barcelona will battle until the end to win titles, according to head coach Hansi Flick, who said he was unhappy with the current situation as it look to avoid a third consecutive home defeat in LaLiga when it hosts Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
After a superb start to the season which saw Barca win 14 of its first 16 matches across all competitions, the side lost the way domestically with Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to 15th-placed Leganes leaving it with one victory in the last six league games.
But it remains top of the LaLiga table with 38 points, level with second-placed Atletico and one point ahead of Real Madrid in third, with both title rivals having a game in hand.
To make matters worse for the Catalan side, Atletico has been in terrific form ahead of the highly-anticipated clash at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, having won its last 11 matches in all competitions.
“What I can feel in the city and the supporters know what the team is like. We lost five important players. (Attacking midfielder) Dani Olmo and (forward) Pau Victor are the (new) signings. The team has improved and is focused,” Flick told reporters on Friday.
“We are not happy with the situation, but we are going to fight until the end of the season. We want to win titles, but we know it won’t be easy. But we want to win, that’s what we want to do tomorrow.”
The German said there will be little room for error if Barca is to win against Atletico, but they were ready for the occasion.
“It’s the end of the year. It’s a great game. It’s one of the best rivals. But today is December 20 and we’re first in La Liga and second in the Champions League. We are not bad. We lost some points against Las Palmas (2-1 loss) and Leganes, we have to recover them,” Flick added.
“Tomorrow is another game. We have a young team and we have to fight and improve. We want to achieve great things. But we know it won’t be easy. We have to start fighting tomorrow. We are playing against great teams.”
Barcelona has suffered a blow with winger Lamine Yamal suffering an ankle injury during its loss against Leganes. The 17-year-old Spain international is expected to be out for three to four weeks. “We have to accept that he is injured and won’t be able to play,” Flick said.
