Flick: Yamal isn’t deliberately causing trouble… and his anger is a good sign

On the strength of the opposition, Flick commented: “Atlético are a very tough side. They have a great mentality, intensity and fantastic players. In the last match they rested several players, but others who came on are of the highest quality. It’s not easy to score two goals against Atlético; it’s always complicated. There will be a lot of emotion in both matches. We’ll try to get a good result tomorrow, knowing that we have to play away. When we beat Newcastle, we deserved it and we want to keep pushing towards our goal.”

Asked how he would deal with players facing suspension, the German manager said: “I don’t accept any excuses. The only thing to do is focus on what we want to achieve on the pitch. I don’t want to focus on other things, but on what’s in our hands. They also have players facing suspension and the situation is the same for us.”

On the team’s desire to secure a big result ahead of the second leg, Flick said: “We have our style and we must stick to it. We must press and find the spaces. The important thing is to be focused from the start for these two matches against Atlético. Everyone wants to play in the Champions League and we have the chance to reach the semi-finals – that is our goal.”

Asked about João Cancelo’s future, Flick replied: “I don’t want to talk about the future. He’s doing a fantastic job at the moment. He played in Mexico and the United States during the break and had a long journey back. In the last match he was very tired. He’s a top-class player and is helping us a lot right now.”

On the physical side of things, Flick said: “I hope it doesn’t affect us. When you manage minutes, you never know how it will affect things later on. We don’t have many options because in La Liga we wanted to win and get those victories. In the Champions League it’s different; everyone wants to be at the highest level and it’s a great opportunity to show how strong we are.”

On concerns about Atlético Madrid’s wingers, Flick noted: “We’ve tried to prepare for every match, and that’s not easy. We all need to be involved in defence and be well-positioned and organised. It’s important that we all contribute to both attack and defence.”

Asked whether there had been time to prepare a surprise for the opposition, the Barcelona manager said: “No. Yesterday was for recovery and today we worked on something specific. It’s important that we show on the pitch what we’ve been working on in training, and I hope that pays off tomorrow.”

Asked whether the previous 4-0 win was a turning point, the German manager replied: “That happens sometimes. After that match and the Girona game, we’ve done things better. We have a young team and our centre-back pairing of Kubasi and Gerard are playing every minute. They’re brilliant. Naturally, in some situations they don’t make the best choice, but they’re young and have to learn. They’re improving massively and it’s great to see that.”

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Comparing Rashford and Rafeina in terms of defensive pressure, Flick said: “That’s important. We know he’s brilliant on the ball, but defence is part of the game. He’s performing well and adapting. Atlético are performing very well on the flanks.”

On the psychological impact on the match, Flick explained: “The situation is different because we’re playing in the Champions League and we all want to be at our best. It’s important that we play our own style and that everyone gets involved. It’s important that the attack helps us. I feel the connection between the fans and the players is fantastic and we need them tomorrow.”

Flick concluded: “I said that on Saturday. Yamal gave it his all on the wing and Cancelo went one-on-one, whilst Leva scored with his chest. What we need to understand is that Lamine is 18 years old and a fantastic player. When you watch the match again, you’ll see he does incredible things. He’s only 18. He beat five players and almost scored. He came off frustrated; he’s an emotional player and that’s a good thing. I’ll always support him. We have to be careful; not everything he does is just to create a buzz around him. He’s a brilliant player, and we have to realise he’s 18. I told him he can do it and I’ll always protect him. He’s a top player and might just be the best in the future.”