Flick: Lewandowski is a Role Model, and This is the Situation with De Jong and Rashford

Hans Flick, the head coach of Barcelona, spoke during the press conference ahead of the match against Real Betis in the Spanish League, about various issues related to the team.

Flick commented on achieving victory in all matches at Barcelona's home this season: 'We need a goal, and this is the goal, we want to win all our home matches, they are a great and stable team, and they have players with great individual quality, the match will not be easy, we want to win.'

Regarding Lewandowski, the German coach explained: 'The conversation went well, he spoke with the team and bid farewell to everyone, it was a great phase, I told him that I won all the titles with him, it was an honor to work with him, he is a great professional, he is a role model, and that's why he plays at this level, now he wants a change, he wants to move, this is good for him, he is a wonderful person and a great player.'

Flick added about compensating for the absence of the Polish striker: 'We have time to compensate for his absence, he deserves a good farewell, he will be a starter, because he deserves it, we will monitor the market, we have time.'

He also talked about the difficulty of replacing a player like Lewandowski, saying: 'Obviously, it's not easy to find someone at Robert's level, he is a great professional and an excellent person, we will miss him, but the structure needs renewal.'

Regarding the possibility of more departures from Barcelona, Flick confirmed: 'I don't think there are more, but I don't think so, although anything is possible.'

The Barcelona coach spoke about Andreas Christensen's condition before the match, explaining: 'The plan is for him to get some minutes tomorrow, we thought about it in the last match, but then the matches need to be managed.'

He also talked about Juan Garcia, confirming: 'It has nothing to do with the Zamora award, Juan's minutes need to be managed, Szczesny deserved to play, Juan will play.'

Flick spoke about the situation of De Jong and Rashford before the match against Real Betis, saying: 'In the last match, we managed the minutes significantly, we will see a different team, Frenkie is not available because he doesn't feel completely well, there are hopes for Marcus, but he won't start, but he may be on the list.'

Regarding Lewandowski's departure, he said: 'The decision was made this way, we are not considering other hypotheses, we respect that.'

He concluded his remarks by talking about the atmosphere in the locker room, saying: 'I don't know if this is the case, I simply treat the players with respect, and that's what I ask of them, we are a team that seeks to win and play great and beautiful football, the best approach is honesty among us, when it's difficult to say some things, we must be honest, sometimes decisions have to be made that don't please everyone, but the most important thing is the interest of the team, sometimes you have to step back a little for the team's interest, I talk to them a lot, and communicate with them, I explain to them that decisions are in the interest of the group, success is also a helping factor, we are here to win titles, and the team's mentality must be very professional, quality must be evident in matches and training, this is what I ask of the players, and respect is also extremely important.'