Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has praised his team’s defensive performance, saying it has reached “another level” following a recent run of positive results.
The Catalans have bounced back from a 3-0 Champions League defeat to Chelsea in late November with three consecutive wins. Barca face Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday as they aim to secure a top-eight finish in the group stage.
Several key players returned from injury last week, helping Barca beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 and Real Betis 5-3.
“Everyone knows what happened in the last three months—many injuries, very important players out. In the last weeks, we had to manage minutes and workloads for every player,” Flick said at a press conference.
He added that while the team conceded three goals against Betis, the goals came late when players were fatigued, and the high defensive line system he employs remains effective.
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“The last 10 minutes, they were exhausted,” reasoned Flick, whose side also let in 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 win over Betis left Barca four points clear at the top of La Liga, with attention turning to the clash against Frankfurt.
In 2022 Barcelona suffered a humiliating Europa League elimination at the hands of the German side, whose fans filled the stands at Camp Nou.
Barcelona restricted access to tickets as a result this year, anxious to avoid similar scenes at their reopened stadium.
That defeat was arguably the club’s lowest ebb, but in the years since they have risen sharply, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.
The Frankfurt match will be the club’s first game in the competition 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 said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen may return to the squad after injury but made clear Joan Garcia “is number one”.
