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Flick Confident in Regaining Respect in The Champions League
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he is not worried about the team's underwhelming performance in the Champions League in recent seasons and expressed confidence that, under his management, they will regain the respect they have lost in Europe.
"We lost a match against Monaco, but I don't care about what happened before. We want to succeed in the Champions League, and to do that, we need to win now. I'm optimistic about it. The team is playing well and can achieve this. If we need to regain respect, we will," he stated in the press conference ahead of their match against Swiss side Young Boys.
After rotating the starting eleven at El Sadar, with an eye on Tuesday's European clash, Flick confirmed that he will field "the best possible team" against Young Boys, as Barcelona needs to secure its first three points in the competition.
However, he warned that it won’t be easy, even though the Swiss team is considered one of the weaker sides in this year's Champions League. "They've been champions in the past, they haven’t had the best start this year, but we’ve seen that they have good players and are strong on the counterattack. It’s a young and motivated team," he emphasized.
Additionally, the Swiss side's style is similar to Osasuna's, a team that scored four goals against Barça on Saturday in their first LaLiga defeat (4-2).
"When the other team plays well on the counter, like Osasuna, you need to minimize mistakes. If you make too many errors, it’s harder to defend," Flick reflected.
For the match against Young Boys, the German coach will be without defensive midfielder Eric García, who will serve a one-match suspension following his red card in Monaco.
In this regard, Flick noted that he doesn't have "many players" left in midfield, and while he welcomed Frenkie de Jong's return, he admitted he’s unsure how many minutes the Dutchman will be able to play.
"It's great news to have Frenkie back in the squad, whether it’s for five or ten minutes. He’s very important for us. It will be good for him to return and be with the young players. And if he has the chance to play, he will," he said about the Dutch midfielder.
Lastly, Flick avoided commenting on the arrival of Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who landed in Barcelona on Monday and whose signing will be officially announced by the club in the coming hours. He also did not confirm whether Szczesny would be a starter, which could relegate Iñaki Peña back to the bench.
"I don't talk about players who are not yet part of the team. He isn't here yet. But the players already at Barça can’t be guaranteed a starting position," he concluded.