Hansi Flick talks Araujo, Pedri, Yamal and referee after Barcelona 2-1 Girona | OneFootball

Barcelona were able to maintain pressure on league leaders Real Madrid with the narrowest of wins over Girona on Saturday.

In a game where Barcelona were far from their best, as admitted by Pedri himself, the Catalans were able to secure three points thanks to a late goal from Ronald Araujo.

Speaking to the media after the game, Hansi Flick talked about Araujo’s late winner, as well as his decision to sub off the likes of Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

What Flick said after Barcelona’s win over Girona

Hansi Flick was notably asked about his tendency to make changes at half-time, having made changes after 45 minutes in eight of the nine league matches this season.

“For me, as a coach, you have to make decisions, and today, the situation was that we wanted to change something,” he said, before going on to talk about Fermin, who was introduced after half-time.

“Of course, Fermin is now ready to play 45 minutes, and that’s what we were thinking about before the match – maybe we could bring him on, and I think that was the right decision.

“Sometimes at halftime, you have an additional option to change players. So, if you’re convinced by the situation and that you need to make the change, you have to do it, and that’s exactly what we did today,” he added.

Flick was also asked about the decision to take off key players Pedri and Lamine Yamal at around the hour mark.

The German tactician explained that Yamal was always going to play an hour, while Pedri had played a lot of football, so it was necessary to give him a rest.

“As for Lamine, it was clear, and the same for Pedri. Pedri has played a lot of matches and logged a large number of minutes, and we need to take care of him—we have to look after him,” he explained.

“Sometimes things are like that, so we made that decision and it worked out well, and from my point of view, it was also a great thing,” he added.

The Barcelona manager also offered an update on the fitness of Yamal, having been taken off at around the hour mark.

“I think he’s fine. We’ll see tomorrow, but I haven’t spoken to him after the match yet, and he hasn’t said anything either, and I think that’s a good sign – and it was clear that he would only play about 60 minutes,” Flick said.

Meanwhile, Flick also talked about Ronald Araujo and his late winner that helped Barcelona seal the deal. The coach revealed that the defender had been performing excellently in training when it came to seizing opportunities in front of the goal.

Hansi Flick was sent off late in the game against Girona. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“Ronaldo is absolutely fantastic in training in front of the goal, so it was about that instinct, that he might be able to change the course of the match,” he said.

Flick went on to talk about the referees, who made a series of controversial decisions, including not awarding Barcelona a penalty for a foul on Marcus Rashford.

When asked about these questionable refereeing decisions, Flick said, “For me, it was the decision made by the referee – and we also have VAR – and since there was nothing different shown, the decision was confirmed. We have to accept it.“

“For me, the referee is the one who makes the decisions on the pitch, and all I can say is what I told you – it wasn’t something directed against him, it was more about my team.

“And of course, if he doesn’t want to talk to me, that’s his decision as well, and I have to accept it. I’m not sad about that – that’s how things are. It’s okay, I have to accept it,” he added.

Flick was notably given two yellow cards late in the game, one for protesting against a decision in a humorous fashion, while the other was given for his argument with the officials for just four minutes of added time.

Due to the two yellow cards, Flick will not be available on the touchline when Barcelona take on Real Madrid next weekend.

Talking about the gesture, Flick said, “I only saw it now — I didn’t know about it, but in the end, it wasn’t directed against anyone. It was probably related to our match, to our performance, to the performance we delivered.

“For me, football is emotion, just as I didn’t say anything about the referee. Come on, that’s his decision, and I have to accept it – what I can say is that it wasn’t against him.”

When asked whether or not he tried to speak to the referee after the game, the German revealed, “I tried to say something to him, but no, he didn’t talk to me, or rather, he didn’t respond to me.”

Finally, Flick pointed out that it is important to win matches in a gritty manner, something even Fermin Lopez alluded to after the game.

“Sometimes it’s like that. We didn’t play our best match, but we fought until the end and scored that goal at the last moment. I hope this gives us confidence for the upcoming matches, and that’s what I truly hope for,” he concluded.

Source: Diario SPORT