After two defeats, Flick '100 percent convinced' by Barcelona's playing style
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is sticking to his approach after losses to PSG and Real Madrid. He is without four defenders against Alaves, and Frenkie de Jong could fill in.
Archive image · Photo: Oh-Barcelona.com from Barcelona, Spain / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Hansi Flick is sticking with his playing style at Barcelona despite two straight defeats. "I am 100 percent convinced of our idea, of how we want to play football," the German coach said on Friday ahead of Saturday's La Liga game against Deportivo Alaves (2000 GMT) at the Spotify Camp Nou. Barca won their first 11 games of the season but then lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Clasico.
After a board meeting on Thursday, the club expressed full confidence in the squad and coaching staff, according to news agency EFE. Flick said he had spoken with the president and sporting director Deco and that "nothing has changed". He said he saw no lack of mentality, but the team had to avoid cheap turnovers and play with more concentration.
The defensive situation is tight, with Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen and Xavi Espart injured. Flick said only two centre-backs, Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi, were currently available. Frenkie de Jong could also play at centre-back, and Brian Farinas was an option at full-back.