Flick: “I abide by the referees’ decision, I just hope the same is done with everyone”

Barcelona hosts Leganés this Sunday. In the first of the two games in which Hansi Flick will not be on the bench after being sent off at the Benito Villamarín against Betis. The German coach received a direct red card in the action of the penalty awarded to Frenkie De Jong for destabilizing Vitor Roque. Flick insisted that his protests were not directed towards the refereeing team and Barça appealed the sanction. But Appeal ratified the punishment imposed by the RFEF Disciplinary Committee. Settled the matter. It will be Marcus Sorg, his first assistant, who will cover Flick’s loss on the bench against Leganés and next Saturday against Atlético de Madrid.

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The Barcelona coach abides by the final decision. But that doesn’t mean it’s okay with him. Everything was understood in the response of more than two minutes – the longest since he became Barcelona coach – that he offered in the press room.

“I tried to talk to Frenkie, not the referees. I don’t want us to complain to the referees and I told the players that when the season started. I don’t want to waste energy on this. We have to focus on football. Accept the decisions. It has been a hard blow, but we have to accept it. Maybe I should work on my behavior? , Okay, I’ll do it. I’m in a new League. But I only ask that they always whistle the same way, in the same way. Let the criteria be the same. Our philosophy is to do what we can do and improve. The referees can also improve. We are human people and they make mistakes,” the coach reasoned.

Sorg has a lot of experience and is doing very well here. He knows a lot about football and has quality.

In his place will be Marcus Sorg, an assistant whom Flick defines as “a coach with a lot of experience and he is doing very well here. He knows a lot about football and has quality. Communication with him is very good,” he noted. Flick and Sorg have known each other for many years. Sorg, also German, was an assistant for the senior German team under Joachim Low for 71 games and Hansi Flick for 25 games. Since then, it has been his shadow. So Flick will give “my last instructions to the players in the hotel” and assured that “if we win I will hug them afterwards, no problem.”

The return of Araújo and, perhaps, Ansu Fati

For the match against Leganés Flick could recover Ansu Fati who has completed two training sessions with the group. Yes, Ronald Araújo will definitely have minutes, who was already discharged against Borussia Dortmund. “The medical staff has done a fantastic job. It is normal with an injury that you need some time before returning to the highest level. Ansu has trained with the team. Araújo can play, it is a step forward. It’s in good shape. All the physical work is very good. The plan is for him to be able to play for a few minutes, I don’t know if he’s on the way out. Maybe he’s in the starting eleven. He is ready,” said Flick of the Uruguayan.

Raphinha or Lewandowski could also rest so that Ferran Torres, who has four goals in the last three games, takes his place in the starting lineup against a Leganés team that has not visited Barcelona since the pandemic. In fact, Barça received it on June 16, 2020 at the Camp Nou in the first game that Barça played without an audience. Ansu Fati and Leo Messi scored in the 2-0 Barça victory.