Hansi Flick, the Barcelona manager, commented on Real Madrid's defeat to Real Betis on Friday in the fourth round of La Liga.
Flick said, at the press conference for the Valencia match in La Liga: "Is the Real Madrid match a warning before facing Valencia? When you watch last night's match, you see that Real played well and had big chances, but this is football. We have to place the focus on ourselves and on our style, and I am sure that tomorrow's match will be difficult for us."
Asked about how the club picks its captains, Flick explained: "It was important to have two captains of my choosing, and three others chosen by the dressing room. I chose Raphinha and Pedri, while the others were De Jong, Lamine and Eric."
Pressed on the thinking behind those calls, the Barcelona manager went on: "Araujo and Ter Stegen left, and Lamine and Eric came in, and Frenkie's continuation is natural. I don't want to decide the five captains, but I wanted to determine these two. I think we have a good group of players who possess leadership, and I see it as a good path, but there will be moments when we have to talk."
Weighing up his squad against last season, the Catalan side's manager stated: "What I see in training, as I said, I like, and it's a good thing: how we press and pass the ball and compete, every ball drill (rondo) is at the highest level. But in the end what matters is winning matches and achieving titles, and in any case the quality of the squad is excellent."
Could Barcelona go into the first international break with a perfect record? Flick stressed: "We will work on that, as we have the quality and the spirit, and there is a good working atmosphere and everyone is completely focused, and enjoying our path in this direction."
On the club breaking the record for spending on deals, the Barcelona manager explained: "We took the decisions together and I am happy with that. It's not easy for me, as there are players from La Masia who possess high quality, and we decided that perhaps something extra was needed. We have big goals this season, and it looks good, and we are 100% convinced of our ability to achieve them."
You can discuss the topics and news in greater depth in the "Kooora" forums