Barcelona’s defending now on “Another Level” ahead of Frankfurt clash – Flick

 

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick stated on Monday that his team’s defending has reached “another level” following a series of strong results.

The Catalans have secured three consecutive wins after a 3-0 loss to Chelsea in the Champions League in late November.

Barca are set to face Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday in Europe as they aim for a top-eight finish in the group stage.

With several players returning from injury last week, Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid 3-1 and Real Betis 5-3.

“Everyone knows what happened in the last three months, a lot of injuries, very important players out, the last weeks we have to manage the minutes, the load of every player,” Flick told reporters.

He added that although the team conceded three goals against Betis, the use of his high defensive line system was effective, noting that the players were fatigued in the final stages when two of those goals were allowed.

“The last 10 minutes, they were exhausted,” Flick explained, recalling that Barcelona also conceded three at Club Brugge in a 3-3 draw earlier in November.

“I said this morning to them, the (back) line is doing really good, we’re getting pressure on the ball, we are connected. This is what we need.

“And the (high) line, they play it on another level than maybe one month, five weeks ago.”

The victory over Betis left Barcelona four points clear at the top of La Liga, with attention now shifting to the Frankfurt clash.

In 2022, Barcelona suffered a humiliating Europa League exit at the hands of the German side, whose supporters filled the stands at Camp Nou.

That defeat marked a low point for the club, but in the years since, Barcelona have bounced back, reaching the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Tuesday’s match will be Barcelona’s first Champions League game at Camp Nou since October 2022.

“For everyone it was a dream to come back and play in Camp Nou,” said Flick.

“It’s also important for the Champions League. It’s a really important match for us tomorrow.

“We have to win, we want to win three points. We want to show our best level.”

The coach added that goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen may return from injury but stressed that Joan Garcia “is number one.”