Hansi Flick admitted that “mistakes” were made in Raphinha’s extended injury recovery, praised Chelsea as one of the world’s best teams ahead of their Champions League clash, and indicated Eric Garcia could continue in midfield.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick admitted that mistakes had been made regarding Raphinha’s extended two-month injury lay-off, according to a report from Football España.
The Brazilian star was originally diagnosed with a muscle problem that was expected to last two to three weeks.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, Flick addressed the public discussion regarding the medical staff’s handling of the situation. He admitted to reading reports of malcontent but defended his team, stating:
“I don’t read much, but I’ve read this. What I can say is that I’m not angry with our medical staff. We have a very experienced team. In Raphinha’s case, we made mistakes. But that’s human nature. That’s all I have to say. There’s a lot of noise, but nothing concrete.”
Flick also gave an update on the returning forward, who played just a few minutes on Saturday. He said: “Step-by-step with Rapha. For me, the most important thing is that he is back. About the minutes and how long he will play we will decide.
He got an injury two times and it is not good in this step, and we take care. I am really happy to have him back. He only played a few minutes on Saturday, but we saw the difference. He creates space for us with and without the ball. It’s good to see him back.”
While Pedri González is ruled out for the match, Flick praised the opponents, calling them “one of the best teams in the world” with a “fantastic coach.” He added, “For us it is a good match to compete.
This is the Champions League. It is not easy the Champions League. We have the confidence, and we believe in our strengths, and we will fight tomorrow as we always do.”