Hansi Flick talks Fermin Lopez, Joan Garcia, Ter Stegen, Bernal, Yamal, registrations ahead of Barcelona vs Mallorca | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to start their 2025-26 season tomorrow with their La Liga game against RCD Mallorca at the Son Moix. The Catalans had a very successful 2024-25 season, and Hansi Flick will be looking to build up on his good work from his first season at the Blaugrana club and retain the league title this season.

After training his team today, Hansi Flick held his customary press conference ahead of this keenly-awaited match, and talked about different aspects of his team. Naturally, the issue of new players and their registrations was one of the more prominent parts of this presser.

The German coach also talked about some of his players individually, and also previewed tomorrow’s game in this press conference.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the main highlights from this presser are as follows:

Hansi Flick started the presser by addressing the registration issue and made it clear that he was not too happy about it:

The German tactician praised one of the new players in his squad for this season, i.e., the goalkeeper Joan Garcia:

“He’s a fantastic goalkeeper, as is Tek. He supports all the players, and I’m happy with the situation we have in goal.”

While downplaying the importance of individual players, he still praised Lamine Yamal:

“The most important thing is that we win as a team. I’m very happy with what I see in training. He also presses very well, and for me, that’s the way forward. Goals are not the most important thing — what matters is that the team wins.”

Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s situation has taken up a lot of space in the headlines recently, and Flick also addressed this issue:

“The most important thing is that we speak together and that he can return to playing at the great level he has. He needs to recover and come back to help the team. We’re on his side.”

The Blaugrana trainer made it clear that his team was still looking to win more titles as he starts his second season:

“We’ll see what happens. We’re working very hard, and the quality in training is what I expect. The three titles are not the end — we have to keep progressing. We focus on winning each match, and on training with a winning mentality. We’re on the right path.”

Another issue facing Barcelona recently has been the proposed La Liga match between the Blaugranes and Villarreal in Miami. However, Flick did not comment on the matter much:

“It’s not confirmed yet, so I don’t want to think about it. I’m focused on each match.”

When asked about the team’s progress, the German made it clear that he is taking it day by day:

“I like improving day by day, and I always want to progress. That’s just who I am.”

The Blaugrana coach was not in too much of a hurry to have Marc Bernal back as he recovers from his injury:

“When he got injured, the doctors told me he would be out longer due to his age. He has a 15-year career ahead of him, and we need to prepare him for that. If it takes a few more weeks, that’s fine — he’s on the right track and we’ll see him soon.”

Flick admitted that it would not be easy to choose his midfield starters:

“For a coach, it’s a good thing. I talk to them constantly, and I’m always open to communication, not just in midfield. The squad is well covered, and it’s not easy to choose.”

When asked whether he has a more complete squad for the upcoming season, the German coach did not give his opinion:

“We’ll talk about the results at the end of the season. We have quality, and we’ll see if that can take us to winning titles.”

Flick showed his happiness with the last season’s strong start, but also highlighted that things did not go too well in November:

“It’s always good to start with seven wins, but then November came and things didn’t go so well. We are convinced about our mission, and everyone must have this winning mentality.”

The Barcelona coach did not set a target for himself in La Liga and claimed that progressing was his main concern:

“For me, the most important thing is our progress. We have plenty of time to improve and learn. We’re on the right track, but it’s a long road until the end of the season.”

Hansi Flick was also clear that no new centre-back is needed even after Inigo Martinez’s departure:

“Honestly, no. Gerard can also play in that position, and I value that a lot. Last season he was fantastic, and in this pre-season he’s also done well as a centre-back.”

The Barcelona coach admitted that he was not too happy with Fermin Lopez some days ago, but he has improved recently:

Notably, there were not too many hints on his selection preferences for the upcoming match in this presser. However, it seems that Hansi Flick is keen to improve the team even more this season, and hopefully, he will be able to do so.