Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has stated that his squad will require a collective effort beyond just Lamine Yamal to achieve the “impossible” in their Copa del Rey semifinal clash against Atlético Madrid on Tuesday.
Following a crushing 4-0 defeat in the first leg held in Madrid last month, Barça faces a formidable challenge as they prepare for the decisive return match at Spotify Camp Nou this week.
Nevertheless, buoyed by the support of their home fans and Yamal’s recent career-first hat-trick against Villarreal over the weekend, Flick expresses confidence in Barça’s ability to turn the tide.
“The collective team is our priority,” Flick asserted during a news conference when questioned about the necessity of Yamal’s peak performance for Barça to orchestrate an unlikely comeback.
“His display following [his initial goal on Saturday] was truly impressive, and I’m very pleased with it, but our success hinges on everyone. It’s not solely about Lamine; we need every player performing on the pitch.”
“Trailing by four goals, our ambition is to achieve the seemingly impossible. That is our objective for tomorrow. We recognize the difficulty, yet we will never surrender.
“While a clean sheet is crucial, it’s equally important to have faith in our capabilities and to believe that we can succeed.”
This situation presents uncharted territory for Flick, who admits he has never faced such a significant deficit in the second leg of a cup tie during his coaching career.
As a template for their comeback bid, he points to Barça’s 4-0 victory against Borussia Dortmund last season, which, notably, was a first-leg Champions League encounter.
“Although I haven’t encountered this scenario previously, I am not apprehensive about it,” he further commented.
“One must always maintain belief. Every person in the stadium will be backing us. We also have a strong precedent: our 4-0 game against Dortmund here last season.”
“Our aim is to net two goals in each half. Perhaps even one goal would suffice. We are aware of the challenge, as we are up against an exceptional team that inflicted significant damage on us in the previous fixture.”
Barça will be without Robert Lewandowski for the upcoming match.
The Polish forward sustained a fractured eye socket against Villarreal, adding him to an injury roster that already includes Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, and Andreas Christensen, with Eric García also unavailable due to suspension.
However, Barça’s squad has seen improvements in other departments since their initial loss to Atlético, notably with the recent return of Pedri and Raphinha from injury, a development Flick credits with revitalizing his team’s displays.
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“It’s beneficial to have [Pedri] back; we will assess his potential playing time,” Flick remarked.
“In our recent match against Villarreal, we witnessed a distinctly transformed team. There was a palpable fighting spirit and significant intensity throughout our play.”
“Our task for tomorrow is precisely this: to perform as a cohesive team, as a single unit. We must play intelligently, fueled by an intense desire to achieve our objective.”