Hansi Flick could barely contain his delight after Barcelona thrashed Valencia 5-0 at the Mestalla. His side dominated from the opening minutes, the coach said, though he stressed the need to sharpen how his players manage matches and effort as the fixtures pile up.
"It was a great match, we controlled it from the start," Flick said afterwards. "We dominated the run of play, and that's what I aspire to." He then heaped praise on his players after celebrating all five goals.
Barcelona have scored 17 goals and conceded just two in their opening four La Liga matches. The German played down the individual figures, though. "For me, it's only about the three points," he explained, before pointing to his side's quality in breaking down packed defences, exploiting space and attacking with purpose.
That dominance mattered all the more given the conditions, Flick added, with the temperature climbing to 34 degrees Celsius. "It's good to see that, and we managed to control the match. We are happy," he said.
A 5-0 win did not spare his players a dose of self-criticism. Flick urged them to stop leaning so heavily on the direct style. "I don't know if it's necessary to say this after we won 5-0, but we need to try to control the match better," he said. "There are many matches, and you always have to manage your energy."
Yellow cards for Pau Cubarsí, Rodri and Fermín López also drew comment from the coach, who backed the referee's calls, Cubarsí's in particular. "The first one, the one Cubarsí received, was deserved," he said. "We have to accept it, and the referee did a great job."