Hansi Flick admitted he was thrilled to see Barcelona return to winning ways against Celta and cut the gap to Real Madrid with a 4-2 victory at Balaidos on Sunday night.
Barcelona took all three points in an eventful game that saw the visitors go 3-2 up at half-time and then take control of the match after a wild opening 45 minutes.
Flick said he liked what he saw in the second half and is happy to be heading into the international break off the back of a good win.
“I’m satisfied with the team before
the break. I’m very happy, I really appreciate what I’ve seen. In the first half we made more mistakes than in the second and they took advantage of it. But what I saw with the ball was very good and in the second half we dominated more,” he told reporters.
“In football, what happens in the past doesn’t count. I think the second half gives us confidence for the next games. It’s what we need. When you can create pressure on the rival team it’s good, I like what I saw in the second half.
“Normally we look at ourselves. But when you can put pressure on Madrid in the standings it’s very good. Especially before the break, it’s very good.”
Robert Lewandowski played a starring role, bagging a hat-trick on his first start for a month, and he came in for praise from his manager.
“It’s too early to talk about next season. Everyone knows Lewandowski’s situation. After the injury I saw a different Lewandowski, very positive. For his confidence it is very good to score three goals today. For us it is also important, just like last season,” he added.
“De Jong’s game was very good. He controlled the game. He was very important for us. He’s playing at an incredible level. Expulsion is not good, because he is very important. But in the end, we will have to solve it.
“It’s better to go into a break with a win than with a defeat. We are happy with how we played and in the dressing room we said that we were proud. Hopefully they all come back healthy.
“In the second half we were much better, we defended much better. Today was a perfect day, I’m very happy with the work with the ball and how the team fought.”
Flick will certainly be hoping his players don’t pick up any more injuries over the international break, with Barca facing Athletic Club in La Liga and Chelsea in the Champions League at the end of the month.
