“It’s a joke that Raphinha is not in FIFA’s ideal eleven”

The FC Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, has assured that Raphinha’s absence from the FIFA ideal eleven in The Best Awards seems to him “a joke”, especially because of the “incredible influence” that the Brazilian had on the team’s successes, in addition to confirming that Pedri will not be this Sunday against Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica because the “risk” of injury “is high.”

“The designation of the FIFA ideal eleven surprises me. When I see that Raphinha is not in that ideal eleven, I think it is a joke. Raphinha’s influence on this team last season was incredible, and in ‘Champions’ he scored 22 goals, he achieved the best score. And when we see the games he played, the number of goals he scored and how many assists he distributed, we see that it was incredible, especially his influence on the team. I think it is a joke that he was not included in the ideal eleven, no It’s fair and I have to say it. For me it’s a joke. I don’t believe he wasn’t named as a player in that ideal eleven, because after the season he played, it’s incredible,” he declared at a press conference.

Furthermore, he confessed that last year was the happiest of his career. “I can say it openly: it has been the most incredible year, the most successful year for me and for my team, it has been a fantastic year. My life here in Barcelona is fantastic, I am very happy. But now we have to talk about the future, about the next season, make it just as good, and for that we have to keep working, see what things have to change. We have great objectives set for this season. We have not reached the end yet, and last season’s titles are fantastic, they are there, but we have to look forward,” he indicated.

However, the German coach did not want to consider a possible renewal with the Barça club, especially due to the proximity of the presidential elections. “A year and a half as a coach, especially in a club like this, Barcelona, is a lot already. I am very happy to be at this club, I love being able to work with Deco, with the rest of the employees, with the team, with the staff, the experts… The entire staff is fantastic. Deco’s work is incredible, also with the rest of his team and with the president. The president is the reason why I am here, and I am very happy. It is very important to have this trust from the president and the rest of the club’s echelons. club. Both my technical staff and I feel it, and that is fantastic,” he acknowledged.

“We’ll see what happens next season after the elections. The only thing I can say is that it’s fantastic to have been here for a year and a half, but these things are what they are. All of this is affected by the president’s decision as well, and that’s why I say it’s important to have him as president. I love continuing here, working for this club, for its members, for the fans. Life here is fantastic. We have to take responsibility for how we play, if we play well, if we have successes, the impact is always good for everyone, above all for the club. And that is what we want to continue doing, giving our 100% to continue guaranteeing success, I hope, also next year,” he added.

In another vein, Flick assured that this Sunday they will face “a great team, with a clear playing philosophy, with direct play and a very good style.” “I love watching them play football. Congratulations to the coach and the team, it is a fantastic team, they have improved a lot in recent years,” he said.

Furthermore, he believes that the people from Castellón will arrive “motivated” after their elimination at the hands of Real Racing Club in the Copa del Rey. “It’s normal. We know how difficult it is to play against a team from a lower division, we also suffered it in our match, and other LaLiga teams have also suffered. For the small team, it is always the match of the year and they give everything, and this is what the Copa del Rey matches give us,” he stressed.

“THE RISK WITH PEDRI IS HIGH, HE WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE”

The Barça coach also confirmed that Pedri “will not be available” for the duel at La Cerámica. “It’s not something that makes me happy, but it is what it is, it’s part of football. He’s injured, but I think he’ll be ready for the next game,” he explained. “I think he will be able to return in the game against Espanyol. He had problems with his calves. The risk is high. He could play, but the risk is high. When something like this happens, it is best that he rest,” he warned.

“It’s not dangerous at all, but we have to take care of him. We have to continue the treatment, but he won’t be able to play. We have decided not to take risks with this hamstring injury. We need him for the next games and it is important to start well against Espanyol, after the Super Cup, and we need him ready to play. We will have to manage this game against Villarreal well, but we also have players of enormous quality in the team,” he continued.

On the other hand, the Polish Robert Lewandowski “is fine and ready to play.” “He is an option for tomorrow’s game, the same as in the Cup game. We didn’t want to take risks, and neither did we in the last home game, but now he is available again and can play. Good news,” he acknowledged.

On the other hand, he spoke of Frenkie de Jong and Eric García as options for the midfield. “Eric played as ‘6’, he played very well. Frenkie, furthermore, understands it. He wants to play, but Frenkie is an outstanding player, very important for our team. It is good to have stability and players who have enough quality to increase the level of the team. Competition between players helps everyone to be available and want to play at the best level. I see that everyone is ready, willing, with the attitude and mentality that we want,” he said.

Finally, Flick assured that to make the lineups the first thing is to “focus on what is necessary for the team”, although “we are all human and have feelings.” “If someone has not played, I have to talk to the player, this is how I manage these situations. For me it is important to give the players a reason why they do not play more minutes, and there are players who also come to me and ask me. My door is always open. I am here to improve the players. It is important to talk about all situations with all the players. The first objective is to make sure that the team plays as a team. You don’t have to focus on the player or the coach, you have to focus on the team,” he concluded.