Former Barcelona boss exposes Flick’s biggest weakness ahead of Copa del Rey tie – ‘They need some time to…’ | OneFootball

Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien has found himself back in the spotlight ahead of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey round of 16 clash against Racing Santander. 

With a unique history involving both clubs, Setien’s views naturally carry weight, especially as Barcelona look to exploit Real Madrid’s early elimination from the competition.

Speaking about the upcoming tie, Setien pointed out that cup competitions often ignore logic and reputation. 

“Sometimes football surprises us. Anything can happen in a match. Racing has quality players and is highly motivated. 

“Furthermore, Barça struggles somewhat defensively. Every opponent ends up creating a scoring opportunity against them,” he stated as quoted by MARCA.

Barcelona need time

Expanding on Barcelona’s situation, the former coach suggested that patience is still required before the club can fully re-establish itself at the highest European level. 

“They need some time to regain their European status. They have too many young players and they lack the experience to know how to read certain situations. 

Quique Setien says Barcelona need time to have a European pedigree. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“They haven’t yet found a real balance between offensive capability and defensive consistency.”

A different squad

Setien also could not avoid drawing comparisons between the current Barcelona setup and the squad he worked with during his time at the club in 2020. 

In his view, the difference is striking, not only in terms of quality but also in atmosphere and mindset. 

“Flick has a squad you can work with, very different from the one I had. Now there’s a totally different environment. 

“You just have to look at the players’ excited faces. I would have loved to have had the team Flick has now. 

“I would have changed the whole thing, without exception. It’s a group with excitement and enthusiasm, and that’s very important,” he noted.