Barcelona temporarily extended their lead at the top of the La Liga standings to seven points over arch-rivals Real Madrid after defeating Real Mallorca on Tuesday evening in the 33rd round of the competition at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
With this result, Barcelona now sits on 76 points, while Mallorca remains in seventh place with 44 points.
According to the Spanish newspaper ‘‘El Nacional‘‘, Hansi Flick expressed great satisfaction with the victory a result that may have seemed narrow, but the reality was quite different. The German coach believes that Barcelona’s players squandered several clear chances, and the scoreline could have been much more emphatic.
The newspaper highlighted that Flick refrained from praising the rest of the squad, instead singling out star midfielder Pedri for his outstanding performance. Pedri created six chances the most by any player in the match.
The German coach stressed that Pedri’s performance was a key factor in securing the three points, telling him: “I don’t have the words to describe how amazing you are.”
Flick also acknowledged the strong return of Dani Olmo, congratulating him on his high-level display against Mallorca, and telling him: “I want to see this level against Real Madrid in the final and against Inter Milan in the Champions League.”
Despite his satisfaction with the win, Flick did not hide his disappointment with the underwhelming performance of one of the team’s standout players this season Lamine Yamal. He reportedly reprimanded the young star after the match, saying: “If you continue playing like this and prioritizing showmanship over the team’s interests, I will have no choice but to drop you from the starting lineup in the season’s most crucial matches.”
Yamal was once again wasteful in front of goal, frequently out of position, and overly reliant on dribbling behavior that infuriated Flick, who voiced his frustration in the dressing room post-match.
Flick also addressed Ferran Torres, who was considered one of the weakest performers on the night, issuing a stern warning about his missed chances particularly with the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals on the horizon. He told him: “You ask to start, and then you squander chances in such a frustrating manner.”