'Players in their beds at 4am!' - Furious Hansi Flick loses it in lengthy rant at La Liga as he labels fixture scheduling a 'joke' that's left Barcelona boss 'speechless'

Ahead of Barcelona's clash against Celta Vigo on Saturday, head coach Hansi Flick didn't hold himself back from criticising LaLiga in a lengthy, brutal rant over the fixture scheduling, labelling the league's actions a "joke" and openly questioning those in authority of the scheduling.

“Do you know how many matches we have played in recent weeks? And do you we play late against Valladolid? We arrive very late, maybe the players are in their beds at four or five in the morning. I don’t want to make excuses. But it happens here, and I’ve never had this before. Every league protects their clubs in the Champions League, and especially in the semi-final, it’s unbeliavable,” said Flick in an angry tone (h/t Football Espana).

He continued: “And we have no time to rest, and I want to discuss with the guys who are responsible. Because they have no idea how it is. No idea how it is.

“It’s just one thing. I don’t want to come here and complain or make excuses, and OK I’m happy it’s not Sunday at 14:00, as it was before, now we are playing on Saturday at 21:00 in the evening.

“Why can we not play at 18:00 in the evening? Give me one reason. I want to see this guy that decides it, who is responsible for it. For me, it’s a joke. I think also for bad for Spanish football. If we are successful, the other teams in the Europa League, it’s good for Spanish football. Then we have one more team that can play in the Champions League. I am speechless. I have no words for that. It’s unbelievable the situation.

“Every Federation, the Bundesliga, Premier League, takes care of their clubs, but we don’t do it here. It’s just, ‘Ah, let them play, they can come back at five or six o’clock (in the morning).’ We have just reached bed for four hours. It’s unbelievable.”

This isn't the first time Flick has openly conveyed his frustration over LaLiga's fixture scheduling. In late March, Barca were scheduled to play Osasuna just two days following the conclusion of the international break, with the German manager voicing his disappointment.

"I don't want to speak about my reaction, I think it's not good. Players have played for their national teams, but we have to play this match. We can speak about if it's the right time to play this tomorrow...," Flick said at the time.

"We can also speak about playing Leganes away at 9 p.m. [on April 12 before the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund]. When we play away, it's always at 9 p.m., so we arrive back late in the night.

"It's to do with recovery for the players. I am not happy with this.

The Catalans are slated to play nine games in the next 30 days, starting with their league clash against Celta on Saturday, April 20. They will then take on Mallorca on Tuesday, April 22, followed by a Copa del Rey final clash against Real Madrid next Saturday. Flick's men are currently atop the LaLiga table with a four-point lead over their eternal rivals from the Spanish capital.