Hansi Flick heaps praise on Barcelona leader and evaluates Gerard Martin experiment | OneFootball

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has heaped praise on Eric Garcia after the Catalan defender penned a new 5.5-year deal with the club. Garcia has been one of the surprises of the season for the Blaugrana, performing well in a number of different positions, most recently in midfield.

The Catalan giants announced a widely reported new deal for Garcia before Flick’s press conference, and Flick was content, having personally championed his continuity at the club.

“I think that at the level he’s playing and what he’s showing, he’s doing very well. He’s an important player in the dressing room, he loves this club.”

Going on to highlight his leadership qualities, Flick explained that Garcia merited the new deal, which will take him into his prime.

“Eric, from the beginning of the season since I arrived, you could see his potential. At the beginning he also had some injuries, which he suffered a bit. But in the end, he’s an absolutely professional player, and so he is focused on that. Also when you want to be a leader, it’s important you have those things, that you’re professional, disciplined, help your teammates, and he always gives everything for the team.”

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“It doesn’t matter if he plays right-back, left-back, centre-back, defensive midfield, or on the bench, he’s always the same. So I think it’s deserved he got a new contract. It’s good news for the club, for him, for everyone.”

Will the Gerard Martin experiment at centre-back continue?

Meanwhile another player who was praised off the back of Barcelona’s win over Atletico Madrid was Gerard Martin, who in the last three La Liga matches has moved from left-back to centre-back. Flick was asked if the experiment would continue.

“He’s doing very well. You know what you get when he’s on the pitch, he’s always very focused in defence, but also offensively, you can see it now when we build up with the left foot, he’s also more important. So he’s doing really well, and that’s why he’s playing.”

Flick highlights attitude he ‘needs’ from players off bench

A quote from Pep Guardiola, that the thing he found hardest as a manager was leaving players on the bench was put to Flick, and he was asked for his thoughts.

“I was a player, I am now a manager, but what I always say to the players is that they enjoy it, because being a player is the best time of your life. I try to always speak to every player, but I say enjoy every training, playing together with your teammates. Of course it can happen that you’re on the bench, at Barcelona there is a lot of quality.”

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“But you have to handle it as a player. And how you manage is up to you, positively or negatively, negatively it’s not good for you, but not for the team either. They are not happy, but think positively, when you see players who came on against Atletico Madrid, this is what I need. What we need from everyone. Players were directly into it straight away. That they say, I want to play, and I want to be in the starting XI. Of course, I have to manage it, but this is my job.”

It was also pointed that the celebrations after the win over Atletico were particularly jubilant too.

“Of course. This what we want, and what we had last season. And also, the match, there was no better time to do this.”