Flick talks Cortes, Szczęsny, La Masia, Florentino Perez after Alaves 0-1 Barcelona

Flick talks Cortes, Szczęsny, La Masia, Florentino Perez after Alaves 0-1 Barcelona

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.

Flick’s analysis

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.”

On Alvaro Cortes

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.