Barcelona’s draw with Celta Vigo left a clear impact in the dressing room, as coach Hansi Flick ended the match in a state of extreme annoyance due to the performance and behavior of some of his players.
Despite Barcelona topping the La Liga table with 34 points, 4 points ahead of rivals Real Madrid, the Madrid team still has a postponed match against Valencia. If they win it, they will reduce the gap to just one point.
Former Spanish and Barcelona defender Carles Puyol shared his opinion on Barcelona’s level under German coach Hansi Flick.
Puyol said in statements reported by the “Football Spain” website: “Flick has changed many things within the team this season, and he has been able to instill a winning spirit in the players, but there are some players whose time has expired and they should be expelled from Barça immediately.”
Carles Puyol continued: “Barcelona looks amazing with Flick, which doesn’t surprise me, especially since he relies heavily on academy players in the first team, a move that makes all Barça fans happy.”
He continued: “When they have the opportunity and the confidence, they respond this way because they know the club better than anyone else, and because they have been accustomed to playing this way since they were young.”
Puyol added: “The draw against Celta Vigo was shocking, especially with the team leading by two goals and only a few minutes remaining. I hope that this draw does not affect the direction of the La Liga title race in the end.”
Regarding the advice he wishes to give to Hansi Flick, Puyol replied:
“I want him to ask the Dutch player to leave Barcelona permanently. Frenkie de Jong is earning a lot of money, while he is the weakest player in the Catalan team’s system.”
Puyol concluded his message to the German coach about De Jong by saying: “Let him go if you really want to succeed with Barcelona!”