Hansi Flick kept everyone guessing over his first-choice goalkeeper for Barcelona's trip to Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuán on Saturday, leaving the choice between Wojciech Szczęsny and Dominik Livaković wide open.
Asked in the pre-match press conference why the club signed a third goalkeeper this summer, Flick said: "I think it's important to have quality in this position. When you look at the first season we had with Szczęsny, during which we won three titles, you can already tell that he's a great goalkeeper, and Livaković is also a good goalkeeper, which is why he joined us."
Who made the call to rest Joan García? The German gave his answer: "We always make the decisions together. It's nothing serious, but we spoke with the doctors and the player, and in this case the decision was to give him rest."
Pressed on whether Szczęsny would start or whether he would turn to Livaković, Flick said: "We never talk about what we do as coaches. Wait to see what happens."
On his conversation with Szczęsny after the last match and the differences between him and Livaković, the German said: "I said this after the match too, everyone makes mistakes and he made a mistake. I spoke with him and he admitted he was wrong. Szczęsny knows our philosophy and how we play, while Livaković is adapting to our style of play, but he is ready to feature and that is best for the team, that everyone is ready."
The international break and the risk of players coming back injured also drew a response. "First, we have to play on Saturday, then comes the break in which many players will join their national teams. I can't say whether a break this long is a good thing or not, because these decisions don't depend on me. I trust the players who leave and the coaches there, and when they come back we will have time to prepare for the Getafe match," Flick stated.
Could Gabriel Jesus start? On rotation, Flick said: "We'll see, it's natural to rotate between the players."
Turning to the mood in the dressing room and whether it lies behind this progress, Flick said: "It's not just about me, but about the staff and the players. That's true, there is positive energy and that's a good thing. We have to give the players support and get close to them. For me, we must build a good environment for the players to recover after every match and for the team to deliver the required performance, and we have to focus on that. We must look for solutions because we studied the situation."
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