Flick talks Joan Garcia, Szczesny, Livakovic, Adeyemi, Raphinha ahead of Sevilla vs Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that Joan Garcia will miss the trip to Sevilla after the goalkeeper picked up a knee problem against Racing Santander.

Garcia’s absence leaves Flick with a choice between Wojciech Szczesny and Dominik Livakovic, although the Barcelona manager refused to reveal who will start at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

Flick explained that the decision to rest Garcia was made collectively after the medical team assessed the problem.

“We always make decisions together. When the doctors told us what was wrong with him – it’s not very serious, but he needs to rest – we decided he should rest.”

The Barcelona boss was then asked whether Szczesny or Livakovic would get the nod. His response was deliberately brief.

“You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

Flick weighs Szczesny experience vs Livakovic option

Joan Garcia will not play against Sevilla. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Szczesny’s experience gives him an obvious advantage, particularly after his importance to Barcelona’s La Liga success last season. 

At the same time, Flick was quick to stress that Livakovic is also regarded highly by the coaching staff.

“I think it’s very important to have quality. I think that, with [Dominik] Livakovic, we also have a top-class goalkeeper – that’s just the way it is.

“But we won La Liga with Szczesny; it was largely thanks to him. For us, he’s a fabulous goalkeeper with a wealth of experience.”

Flick was also asked about his conversation with Szczesny after the Racing game, when the goalkeeper made a costly mistake. The German insisted that the incident had been addressed internally.

“I’ve already told him that we all make mistakes. He made a mistake and he’s aware of it; it won’t happen again.

“I think that, right now, the situation with Tek is that he knows what our philosophy is. And Dominik has just played; he’s adapting to our approach. And that’s the issue. 

“He can play, he’s ready to play, and that’s what we have to consider. But we always look out for what’s best for the team, not for one player.”

Flick demands more from Barcelona

Barcelona return to Sevilla after losing at the same ground last season, but Flick believes his team has developed considerably since then.

Flick is still demanding more from Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“I have to say, first of all, that I think we’re now at a different level to where we were last year. But every match starts at 0–0 and Sevilla, especially at home, are playing very well. 

“They defend man-to-man and will try to press in those situations. For us, it will be important to play with confidence and move the ball out wide.”

Furthermore, the workload is another concern, with Barcelona facing a busy run of fixtures. Flick believes recovery has become central to maintaining the team’s level.

“We’re working on that every day. Recovery is a very important part of it and we’re managing our workload very well. And that’s what we need to keep doing. For me, that’s the key. 

“We’ve got a lot of matches coming up and we need to keep recovery in mind.”

Meanwhile, Karim Adeyemi also earned praise after his impressive recent displays, with Flick highlighting both his qualities on the pitch and his character inside the dressing room.

“He’s very quick, but I don’t know if he’s the quickest player I’ve ever coached. Alphonso Davies is similar. But he’s a good lad, a good person, and he has a lot of respect for the dressing room. 

“Everyone loves him dearly. His performances make things easier.”

Flick added, “I’m really glad he chose us. I’ll put my trust in him and I’m 100% behind Karim. We’ll see more matches like the one on Wednesday.”

Rotation and dressing room environment

Meanwhile, rotation will remain part of the plan, including for Gabriel Jesus, but Flick did not disclose his selection.

“We’ll see, but we have to keep making changes to manage each player’s minutes. 

“As for whether he’ll start, it was important for him to rest against Racing. For now, that’s all I can say.”

Flick was equally demanding when discussing the atmosphere within the squad, making clear that he does not believe Barcelona have reached their ideal level yet.

Barcelona look like a tight-knit group this season. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“I think it’s not just my job, but that of the entire coaching staff. We work together, with positive energy.

He then offered a candid assessment of where that process stands.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely happy with this at the moment because we’re only just starting the process and there’s room for improvement. 

“But right now I’m not 100 per cent satisfied because we always demand a lot and we need to improve things.”

Finally, Flick explained why Raphinha has become so important to Barcelona’s pressing structure while operating as the team’s number nine.

“If you look at the last two seasons, we always started the press with the ‘number 9’. And he has that hunger, that drive and that attitude to start the press exactly as we need him to.

“Not only is he excellent in attack, but he’s also excellent in defence. He’s the one who starts the press. As captain, he leads the way and the rest follow him,” he concluded.

Source: AS