Deco talks Xabi Alonso, relations with Real Madrid, Lewandowski, Raphinha, Flick’s renewal and Ter Stegen’s future | OneFootball

FC Barcelona reached one of the milestones of the season last Sunday as they won the Spanish Super Cup by defeating Real Madrid in the final. The triumph is the latest proof of the careful sports planning carried out by La Blaugrana in recent years, with Sporting Director Deco playing a central role in the club’s strategy.

Thus, Deco deserves a lot of credit for the good performances of the Catalan team. As Mundo Deportivo has reported, he appeared in an interview with Cadena Ser and talked about different aspects of his club and of Spanish football in general.

The Portuguese official started by commenting on the win against Real Madrid:

“The truth is, we won; it was our objective. We knew it would have an impact, but not like this. Barça–Real Madrid matches are important. It’s a match with a lot of noise, a lot of dimension.”

Deco expressed surprise at Xabi Alonso’s sacking:

“It surprised me a bit because Xabi Alonso’s work was still at the beginning; he had been here only a short time. It’s very difficult to comment without being involved day-to-day, so I prefer not to say much more.”

The former midfielder also commented on the Merengue team’s decision not to give a guard of honor to Barcelona:

“I didn’t pay too much attention. From a sporting point of view, one should believe that the guard of honor should be given. Sometimes when you lose, you’re not in your best moment, and you make hasty decisions, but it’s understandable because when losing, you don’t make the best decisions.”

The Blaugrana Sporting Director refrained from commenting too much on the relationship with Real Madrid:

“President Laporta knows better than I do the relations he has with Real Madrid. The institutional matters are up to Laporta and whatever he says. I imagine that whenever there are complicated and public issues, relations are like this. These are clubs that need each other, but if it’s like this, I imagine everything is more tense.”

Deco also spoke highly of the Merengues when talking of the Super Cup final:

“We are talking about Real Madrid, always a very dangerous team. They have very strong players on set pieces and are very good in transitions… The 2–2 left us a bit shaken before the interval, and Madrid came back stronger in the second half. We dominated more with possession, but in the end, it’s a match decided by details. I don’t think Real Madrid played a bad game.”

The Portuguese official also highlighted Raphinha’s importance for the team:

“Raphinha is returning to his best level. He’s very important for the team; he’s a player who drives the team, presses, motivates, works, and scores goals… He’s a key player for us.”

The Barcelona director went on to comment on the truth behind the Brazilian winger’s rumored exit from the team:

“We’ve been saying for two years that this team must improve, not worsen. The idea has always been to keep this team because we knew perfectly the quality they had. We had no interest in selling any player. Raphinha was in our plans and has always shown that he wants to be at the club and make history here.”

When asked about Joan Garcia’s role in the Spanish national team, Deco refrained from giving any opinion:

“The coach has to decide if Joan should start for the national team. The Spanish national team is key for us because we have many players with the Spanish team.”

About Robert Lewandowski, the director made it clear that his future at the club depends on himself:

“Robert is enjoying his time at Barça; he’s one of the best forwards of recent years and key for us. It will depend on him; he has one year left on his contract. We don’t know his plans yet. We’ll have to sit down and talk clearly. Right now, we’re focused on important moments of the season, so I don’t think it’s the moment.”

Similarly, Deco also did not comment too much on Hansi Flick’s future:

“The coach is a great manager and a great person. A change in management was needed; we had a young squad and experienced players. We should enjoy the moment. He has one year left on his contract, and now isn’t the time since we must focus on upcoming titles. It’s too early to talk.”

The Portuguese official also gave a mixed response to the question about Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s future:

“For now, there’s nothing. The truth is, we’re happy with Marc; the first priority was to get him back, and he is available. Sporting decisions are made by the coach; we don’t interfere. And if any player is not comfortable and asks to leave to play, we listen to them.”

About calling Lionel Messi back to Spotify Camp Nou, Deco said:

These comments from Deco help clear the futures of some Barcelona players, including Raphinha, Ter Stegen, and Lewandowski, even though the Portuguese official was quite reserved in his approach.