Hansi Flick talks Raphinha, Fermin, Casado, Bardghji after Barcelona loss to Udinese

FC Barcelona were unable to win their friendly game in Italy against Udinese, as the Blaugranes fell to a 1-0 loss, with the Serie A side scoring the winning goal in the very final minutes of the match.

The German coach had only a few first team players available, and thus named several youngsters in his lineup. In addition to the players who reached the final stages of the World Cup and thus have still not returned to train with their club side, Flick had also not named players like Ronald Araujo, Marc Casado, Roony Bardghji, and Jofre Torrents in his squad, because they have either already left the club or are close to completing their transfers.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona coach also spoke to the press after the match, and commented on several aspects of the game and his team in general.

Despite the loss, the German coach expressed satisfaction with the way his team has been training:

“The matches haven’t been the best, but we have trained well, and we have to manage the arrival of Fermín, Raphinha and the other players.”

“I wasn’t very happy with Friday’s training session, but the performance in the match was much better.”

Flick also gave an update on the situations of Raphinha and Fermin Lopez:

“Raphinha has been training for ten days, and Fermín for a little longer. For me, they were good. ‘Rapha’ is the most important player for me because he brings dynamism and speed, and that is what we need… We need him to be 100% committed to the team, and with the goals, that is what we need.”

The German coach also sympathized with Marc Casado and Roony Bardghji, who are both close to leaving:

“It’s not easy for me, the situation with Casadó and Roony, but decisions have to be made. I spoke to them at the end of last season and also in England. I explained the situation to them and gave them my advice.”

Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo is joining Liverpool on loan, and the Barcelona trainer believed this transfer was the best way forward for him:

“Ronald is a great guy and a fantastic player. He has strength and speed, and he is good with the ball too… I think he also wants to do something new. It’s a shame; something happened in the past, and I think he also wanted to make a change.”

“I saw him this morning. He is a great player and a great person, but in life and in football, things change, and you have to accept it… It’s normal for a team to make changes after a season. You’ve seen that there are many young players, and we have to make room for them.”

Flick refused to comment on any new signings that his club might make:

“We always talk about improving and bringing in the players we need, but we have to remain calm.”

When asked about Ferran Torres, the German coach also did not give away much:

“I respect the players’ holidays, and I don’t have any information.”

Despite the team’s underwhelming performances in the preseason games so far, the Barcelona coach was not drawing too many conclusions:

“A lot of players are arriving this week. It’s an unusual and strange pre-season… We have to respect the players’ holidays, and this pre-season is not normal. We’ll have to manage things until the international break; we won’t be at 100% until then.”

FC Barcelona are now going to play another friendly game against FC Basel in Switzerland, on 16 August. By that time, Hansi Flick will have got several more first team players back at his disposal, and hopefully, the team will put in a more convincing display in that upcoming match.