Hansi Flick has refused to rule out signing a centre-back during the upcoming winter transfer window. The Barcelona boss has watched his side’s winning run grind to a halt with defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. Next up is Deportivo Alavés, and Barcelona return to league action tomorrow, Saturday, in the 11th round of the Spanish league.
Transfer plans
Speaking at his press conference, Flick addressed the question of a new defender directly: “Will the club sign a centre-back? I spoke about this matter when the transfer window opened, and I said that we are always looking for the best for the team, and for how to improve it.”
He continued: “We’ll see what happens. We still have a few weeks before the winter transfer window opens. We talk daily about many matters with Deco, Bojan and the members of my technical staff. If we are able to do something, then perhaps we will do it.”
Defensive concerns
Asked about the fragility of his defensive system, Flick said: “In the end, defending is not the responsibility of the back line alone, but the striker also takes part in the defensive process. Everyone is responsible for it.”
The German then stressed the need to improve in possession. “First of all, we must not lose the ball easily. We lost some balls against Real Madrid, and that is not good. It usually happens to us, and we have to play with more intelligence and concentration.”
He added: “When we defend inside the penalty area, it is also important to mark the opponents well, and that is something we did not do either. We have to improve these aspects. We train on them, we take them into account, and we talk about them with the players.”
Yamal and the Ballon d’Or
On Lamine Yamal losing the Ballon d’Or race, Flick said: “Harry Kane also deserved to win it. You know my opinion about Lamine, as I believe he has the level that qualifies him to win this award. I said that to him and to the team.”
Flick also paid tribute to Pau Cubarsí: “Pau Cubarsí also deserved to win the Kopa Trophy, as he had an exceptional season and a wonderful World Cup.”
He went on to praise Yamal’s response: “But what I see and what I feel is that I am very proud of Yamal. His reaction was good, and what I see in training is that he has great focus. That is how champions behave, and I am very happy that he is following this approach and has this mentality.”
Flick closed the topic by saying: “We accept it. And I am pleased that this file is over, so that we can focus on matters that are very important to us.”