Fresh from securing the La Liga title, Barcelona were brought back down to earth after suffering a narrow 0-1 defeat against Deportivo Alaves on a frustrating night for Hansi Flick and his players.
The defeat officially ended Barcelona’s hopes of reaching the symbolic 100-point mark in the league, a target the club had set for the final weeks of the campaign.
Despite the disappointing result, Flick did not appear overly concerned after the final whistle.
“I’m disappointed with the result, but we have to accept it because we were up against a team fighting to avoid relegation. It wasn’t easy,” said.
With the title already secured, Flick also used the match as an opportunity to rotate heavily and hand minutes to players who have not featured regularly this season.
The Barcelona manager explained that part of the evening’s objective was to evaluate squad depth and reward strong performances in training.
“We wanted to give some playing time to the players who’d had less of it. In the first half, we controlled the game, but it wasn’t an easy night.
“We wanted to win and reach 100 points. It wasn’t possible, but I’ve told the players that I saw things I liked in their performance.”
One of the biggest talking points from the match was the debut of young defender Alvaro Cortes, who received praise from Flick after a composed display at the back.
“It was his first match. I saw him looking confident on the ball. He made his debut because of how he trains.
“That’s what I want to see from Barça Atlètic players: that they give their all in training with the first team and play well for the reserves.
“I liked what I saw, and that’s why he played.”
Flick also took time to highlight the contribution of several academy players who featured during the game.
“Alvaro played a fantastic match, Espart came on well, Tommy got some playing time, and Bernal is back and performing at a high level. It was important for Casado to play.”
The Barcelona manager was also asked about recent comments made by Florentino Perez regarding Barcelona and past La Liga titles.
Flick, however, quickly shut down the topic, stating, “I won’t comment.”
Lastly, another notable decision on the night was the inclusion of Wojciech Szczęsny in goal ahead of Joan Garcia.
Flick explained that the intense schedule played a major role in the choice.
“We had three matches this week. We decided to rest Joan, but he’ll surely play the remaining two matches,” he concluded.
