IIf karma exists, it was most likely given to Barcelona’s coach. At the press conference before the Copa del Rey semi-final match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid, the Catalan team’s coach, the German Hansi Flick, caused a lot of buzz by saying that he was leaving Real Madrid with a very bad feeling. In the round of 16, Los Blancos faced Albacete, who were ranked 17th in Spain’s second division at the time, and were eliminated.
Although he clearly criticized the club in the press conference, the German manager did not expect that Atlético Madrid would beat him with four goals to none, completely nullifying Barcelona’s attacking play, and that Diego Simeone would be able to use the same style of play to achieve a historic Copa del Rey victory.
What did Hansi Flick say about Real Madrid before the Copa del Rey semi-final match?
The Barcelona manager did not hesitate to send a direct message to Real Madrid ahead of the match against Atletico. This all happened after the reporter made a comment about the “easy” club the Blaugrana played against before the match against coach Diego Simeone’s team. To reach the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Barcelona faced Guadalajara, Racing de Santander and Albacete, none of whom are top teams.
En route to these semi-finals, Barça has yet to face a top-level team. What do you think about people who discount this qualification or try to take away any value from it because they haven’t played against a top-level team yet?
True to his style, Hansi Flick answered questions from the press with elegance and clarity.
Just ask Real Madrid
Four words that made it clear that no team is easy, and that defeating a clearly inferior club and eliminating them from the competition is enough to be overconfident. It was a team that Barcelona faced and managed to defeat in order to reach the semi-finals, just as Albacete faced Real Madrid in the round of 16.
Hansi Flick loses against Diego Simeone: Atletico Madrid humiliate Barcelona
Barcelona, who currently lead the Spanish league with 58 points, faced Atletico Madrid, who are third in the domestic tournament with 45 points, 13 behind Hansi Flick’s side. Barcelona arrived with great confidence and a sense of security after a strong run so far, while Diego Simeone’s side arrived with serious doubts after losing their last two home games (Real Betis and Bodo Grimt).
In the end, just like Real Madrid vs. Albacete, Barcelona lost by four goals to Atlético Madrid in a game in which the capital’s club dominated the Catalans, denying Hansi Flick’s team the excellent attacking display they have shown all season.
After all, after Atlético’s historic result, the pre-match words take on even more meaning, with Barcelona looking to make a comeback at home in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final on March 3.
