Hansi Flick talks Rashford, Pedri, Frenkie, Joan Garcia after Barcelona 2-1 Newcastle United | OneFootball

FC Barcelona opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a statement victory, defeating Newcastle United 2-1 at St. James’ Park. Hansi Flick’s men overcame the absence of two key players, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde, yet still managed to outshine Eddie Howe’s side in a challenging atmosphere.

The Englishman Marcus Rashford scored both goals for the Catalans, but the team’s overall performance was top-notch as well, with midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong putting in exceptional shifts.

As a result, the German coach was full of praise for his team’s performance as he talked to the press after the game, highlighting both their resilience and control of proceedings. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, Flick expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance in such an important game:

“It was very important to start with these three points in Newcastle. I think today we saw a very good performance from the team.”

He revealed that the team’s approach was built around surviving Newcastle’s aggressive start:

“The message to the team was that the first fifteen minutes were very important: to keep a clean sheet because they press high, man-to-man, and that’s how it went. For me, the whole game was very good, even after those fifteen minutes. In the first half, we had 64% possession, and that was very positive.”

Despite a few mistakes, Flick stressed he was satisfied:

“Maybe we made too many mistakes, but I’m very happy.”

The spotlight, naturally, fell on Marcus Rashford, whose brace delivered the win. Flick praised the English forward’s clinical edge and growing confidence:

“A goal is a goal. I’ll have to watch them again, but the important thing is that there were two goals. The header was very good, and the second one was also very good. The important thing is that he’s gaining confidence, we’re helping him, and the second goal was really very good.”

“I’m not surprised. I said yesterday that he is a great player and a great talent; his skills are incredible, his finishing is incredible. He had created many chances in the first matches but wasn’t finishing them, and today he did. For a striker, that’s very important, and for us it’s very important.”

Flick also admitted that Rashford was exactly the type of signing Barcelona needed:

“Deco and I spoke before the season about what we needed, and we needed a player like him, so I’m very happy to have him at Barcelona.”

The Barça boss didn’t limit his praise to the attack. Midfield duo Pedri and Frenkie de Jong also earned recognition for dictating the tempo:

“With Pedri and also with Frenkie de Jong, it’s not easy to press us, and I think today both played a very good match. I’m very happy that they play with this confidence. We are a very young team, and I can see that the team is playing with that confidence, and for me that’s very important.”

Finally, Flick highlighted Joan Garcia’s impact between the posts:

Although the 1-2 scoreline shows a closer competition, this was not exactly the case as Barcelona continued to control the proceedings for the majority of the game. Undoubtedly, this was a very good start to the UCL campaign, and Hansi Flick will be looking forward to seeing his team put in similar performances as the competition advances.