The manager of Barcelona, Hansi Flick, did not rule out that Ronald Araujo may return to Saudi Arabia during the Spanish Supercup, following a period of absence. The Blaugrana will face Athletic Club in the semi-finals on Wednesday night, before facing either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid on Sunday in the final.
Flick told the media that he wants to see his team improve against Athletic. The Blaugrana are coming off an encouraging win over Espanyol in the derby, but Flick admitted afterwards that it wasn’t worth it.
“We are playing against the best teams in Spain. Athletic have many ways to attack and it will not be easy. If we make the same mistakes as in the derby, it will not be easy. We will see tomorrow. We need to play better defensively. Sometimes we miss that connection.”
‘I’m still to decide’ on Ronald Araujo’s return
Before the Espanyol clash, Flick noted that Araujo was not 100% physically. The Uruguayan is in his second week of training after a three-week layoff, and it’s been a month since he’s been out of action. The latest report is that Barcelona should have kept him out until after the Supercup, but are determined to keep him involved – Flick has not ruled out his involvement.
“We will see him in training, I want to talk to him, we haven’t made a decision yet, when he is ready maybe we will change something, at the moment he is not in our plans.”
Number 9 and debates
During the Catalan derby, Ferran Torres seemed to have confirmed his place in the starting XI, but after a quiet performance, Robert Lewandowski came off the bench to score in the last 15 minutes. Flick was asked if choosing between the two was the hardest decision he had.
“In a club like Barca, there are two top players in every area. Ferran did well and scored goals, but so did Robert. Both have a good attitude in training and on the bench. Lewy scored the second goal in the derby. That’s what I want to see. Everyone has to give his best to the team.”
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Another area of debate is midfield, where Eric Garcia has done well, questioning Frenkie de Jong’s place alongside Pedri. It was suggested to Flick that all three could start.
“Eric has shown that he can play in many positions. Frenkie has done well as a defensive midfielder. Pedri is injured and we had to adapt. The most important thing, and we saw it in the derby, is who plays as number 10. With Fermin, it was very good. That’s what we need in that position. High level of fitness, players catch runs deep and Pedri catch the ball deep with Pedri. defend well. We have options. Eric can play in other places as well.”