FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised the cohesion and aggressive style of his team before Saturday's derby against Real Madrid. Barça leads Madrid by three points at the top of the standings and is on a four-match winning streak in all competitions, including a 4-1 home win against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
"Now we will adapt to Real Madrid, as in all encounters (...) I trust my team, they are doing great," the coach said Friday in a press conference. "What we did in the second half against Bayern was wonderful (...) The players are adapting," he added. Flick mentioned that he has not decided on the starting eleven for El Clásico, but hinted that Fermín López could play an important role.
Regarding López, Flick highlighted: "We already saw it against Bayern. He is a fantastic player with the ball. He is very fast, uses space perfectly. He did what was asked of him. We are happy with his return. But it is also important that he improves defensively; he is doing well."
Flick also praised the performance of 17-year-old Lamine Yamal this season, saying: "He was involved in three goals. He showed great performance." On the team's strategy, the coach commented: "Our idea is to press as much as possible with the ball. In the match against Bayern, I had to press (Alphonso) Davies from the last line. In every match, you adapt. We need to get closer each time; we must be a compact unit and not leave spaces between the lines." "I have not decided if he will be in the starting lineup," concluded Flick, leaving an atmosphere of uncertainty before the important match.
