The coach of Spanish champion Barcelona, Hansi Flick, gave an official press conference before the championship match against Getafe. He revealed the state of his squad after the break for the national teams.
„The national team is the national team and for everyone this is the main goal - to defend their country. And that's exactly Rafinha's attitude and attitude. He always gives 100% of himself. We have to think about whether it was necessary for him to play in Australia, to travel so many thousands of kilometers. This is incredible. They have to choose friendly matches, and in Europe this is not possible because of the Nations League. When I was in the German national team, we had the opportunity to go to Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, but that was because there were two or three friendly matches. "Now that's impossible," Flick began, taking a dig at Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti.
"It's normal, there's a lot of pressure on the players. There are no matches where you can watch other players and rest those who have more playing time. That's the situation and we have to accept it. The way they do it is not the best, but I have to accept it and manage the playing time in my team. That's why I say that I really appreciate what De la Fuente does with my players - he's perfect. Everything is fine, the relationship is very good and I'm very happy to see him. This is the best national team in the world," the German added.
„Yamal's performance, both for Spain and in our first eight matches, has been incredible. I watched him live in London against England. He's young, he recovers quickly and he really enjoys the game. His attitude and confidence are remarkable. With this desire to improve every day, he is confidently moving towards becoming the best player in the world, if he is not already one," Flick added.
“These long breaks are part of our job. I don't like it, but I can't change it. We have to concentrate on the next game. We have five very important games ahead of us, we have to prepare and we will do it. We have always done the same thing - the next game is important and nothing changes. Our next opponent is Getafe and they will be a difficult opponent. We know how they play and it is usually difficult to play against them,” Flick concluded.