Barcelona’s Treble Dream: A Clásico Final Awaits
In the world of football, dreams are often built on the back of hard-fought victories and strategic brilliance. For Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, the dream of winning a treble is becoming more tangible after his team secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Atlético Madrid on Wednesday. This win has set the stage for an epic Clásico showdown against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final.
The hero of the night was Ferran Torres, who scored the only goal at the Estadio Metropolitano, sealing a 5-4 aggregate win. This victory keeps Barça alive in all three major competitions as they head into the final stretch of the season.
Barcelona, a club with a rich history of success, previously won a treble in 2009 and 2015. Currently, they lead LaLiga by three points with nine games remaining. Additionally, they are set to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The team has already added the Spanish Supercopa to their trophy cabinet this year.
In his post-game news conference, Flick expressed cautious optimism, saying, “It’s a good moment, but I am experienced, I know how fast it can change. Dreaming is allowed and we will work very hard and stay focused.”
He added, “It’s a big dream for us to win titles. We have the first one [the Supercopa], but in the club they have a lot of space for more titles.”
Upcoming Challenges
The anticipation is building for the Copa del Rey final, which will take place at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville on April 26. This will be the first time Barça and Madrid, LaLiga’s top two teams, meet in the Copa final since 2014.
However, Flick is not getting ahead of himself. “I am living in the present, not the past or the future,” he stated. “That’s why I am not thinking about the final. If you ask about the final, I will say next match is Betis.”
Before the final, Barça has four league games to tackle, starting with a home match against Real Betis on Saturday, followed by the Champions League tie against Dortmund.
“A Clásico, OK it’s great, but we have to play many games before then. For me, in my mind, it’s really behind all the other important things. For me, it’s not important now,” Flick emphasized.
Reflecting on the Atlético Match
During the match against Atlético, Barça could have extended their lead in the first half, with Jules Koundé, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha all missing opportunities. Atlético fought back in the second half, but Barça’s defense held strong, extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 21 games.
Flick praised his team’s performance, highlighting the turning point in their season. “We were really brave in the first half,” he said. “In the second half we suffered a little bit, but the defence made a great job. It’s not easy here to have a clean sheet and to win. I think Atlético is one of the best teams not only in Spain, but in Europe, so we are happy with this.”
He continued, “After the winter break, we improved a lot. In every match, every training, you can see the team believes in our way, how we want to play. The match against Atlético before the break, it was a good point.”
“I said to the team then that I was really happy how we played. And if we play like this, we are in a fantastic way. And at the moment it’s like that.”
- Barcelona leads LaLiga by three points with nine games to play.
- They face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarterfinals.
- The Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid is on April 26.
Originally Written by: Sam Marsden,Moises Llorens
