
‘Unique' Barcelona family key to title triumph: Flick
"Everyone really takes care of each other and... it's unique," said the German coach.
Barcelona's Spanish forward #19 Lamine Yamal (centre) celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Spanish league football match against RCD Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat, on Thursday. Photo: MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said early Friday the backbone of their La Liga triumph this season was the 'family' the club has become.
The German's team wrapped up their 28th Spanish title on Thursday night with a 2-0 win at Espanyol to complete a domestic treble, following Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup victories.
ALSO READ: Real Madrid's Asencio indicted in underage sex video case – reports
'I think the most important thing is… it's really fantastic that everyone at this club has their job and they're doing it with a lot of passion, a really good attitude and mentality, and everyone knows how important they are,' Flick told reporters.
'This helps a lot to reach our goals, and of course the players and the atmosphere in the dressing room, this is so great, I never had this before.
'Everyone really takes care of each other and… it's unique.'
Barcelona will celebrate their title triumph with a bus parade on Friday but didn't on the pitch at Espanyol after an incident in 2023.
When Xavi Hernandez's Barca won the title at the RCDE Stadium they were chased off the pitch by angry home fans who rushed towards them.
'On the pitch it was clear we could not celebrate there… two years ago (there was trouble),' Flick continued.
'It's also about respect for the fans here, (so) of course we celebrated in the dressing room, fantastic, the players could do that, really good.
'Tomorrow I will stand a little bit in the background and I also will enjoy it. When I see the people are happy and smiling I will enjoy it.'
Despite his joy at winning the league, Flick also thought about some negative moments during the season, including the shock death of club doctor Carles Minarro in March.
'Carles is now here,' said Flick, pointing towards the ceiling.
ALSO READ: Lula says Brazil has 'capable' coaches, reacting to Ancelotti hire
'He (would be) very proud about our team, what (we) saw in the last couple of months, so we think about him always.
'(We don't) forget him, because he was a great part of our team and will always have a place in our hearts.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Le Mans and F1 in same year? Too much now, says Hulkenberg
'It definitely took some time to first understand the car and get a grip on it and properly get the lap time out of it,' he recalled. 'I was still improving and understanding, I was clicking only really in the night of the race. 'To jump back into Formula One I think was not a problem, because there was so much positivity after a race like this. I remember jumping into Austria and I was owning it and I was boss. It was no problem going back.' The German's Formula One career has taken him from Williams in 2010 to racing for Aston Martin's predecessors Force India and Racing Point as well as Sauber, Renault and Haas with some gaps in between. 'Why am I still here?,' asked Formula One's only current German driver. 'Because they still want me.' Hulkenberg holds the record for most Formula One races without ever standing on the podium but that is also testament to his enduring worth as a driver with engineering and set-up skills as well as speed. His 236 starts are way more than the next man on the list without a podium, retired fellow-German Adrian Sutil on 128. On the plus side, Hulkenberg has two fastest laps and a pole position and next year will be in at the start with the Audi factory team when Sauber is renamed. 'I still love what I do. You know, Formula One and racing is my passion. It's what I do best, it's what I love. What else should I do?' he said. 'I think it's the competition, you know, the thrill of qualifying, the buzz of a race, kicking ass but even the bad days — just the racing, everything. I love that.'


The South African
13 hours ago
- The South African
Sundowns without 12 stars for FIFA Club World Cup
Mamelodi Sundowns have left behind 12 of their stars for the FIFA Club World Cup which gets underway on Friday. The Brazilians, known for their big squad, did not have space for the entire team, and had to make some tough decisions. They touched down the US on Tuesday, and the 26-man squad had their first training session on Wednesday. Sundowns will get the ball rolling on Wednesday, 18 June against South Korean outfit Ulsan. Kick-off is at 00:00 SA time. And the Tshwane giants will face German giants Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, 21 June at 18:00 SA time. Sundowns' final Group F match will be against Brazil's Fluminense on Wednesday, 25 June. Kick-off is at 21:00 SA time. Mamelodi Sundowns feature in a special video in the iconic Times Square. Image: Supplied Jody February Sanele Tshabalala Asekho Tiwani (injured) Thapelo Maseko Terrence Mashego Matias Esquivel Lucas Suarez Kobamelo Kodisang Kegan Johannes Zuko Mdunyelwa Ntandoyenkosi Nkosi Siyanda Nyanga Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.


The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
England stunned by Senegal to put Tuchel under pressure
'We need to see the players under these kinds of conditions against one of the top 20 teams in the world to be smarter' said the England head coach. Senegal's midfielder Cheikh Sabaly (up) celebrates after scoring his team third goal with defender Moussa Niakhate. Picture: Paul ELLIS / AFP England slumped to a 3-1 home friendly defeat by Senegal on Tuesday to ramp up the scrutiny on boss Thomas Tuchel one year out from the World Cup. ALSO READ: Bafana goalscorer Kwayiba now wants his 'big three' move Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly inflicted England's first ever defeat against African opposition at Nottingham Forest's City Ground after Harry Kane had given the hosts an early lead. England's Tuchel – 'We don't go to the World Cup next week' Tuchel was scathing in his criticism of his side's dreary display in beating minnows Andorra just 1-0 in World Cup qualifying on Saturday. The German, who was appointed with the task of ending England's wait since 1966 for a major tournament win, suffered his first defeat in four games in charge. 'We need to see the players under these kinds of conditions against one of the top 20 teams in the world to be smarter,' said Tuchel. 'We don't go next week to the World Cup. We go in one year.' Tuchel responded by making 10 changes, with Kane the only player to retain his place. It took just seven minutes for the Bayern Munich striker to maintain his record of scoring in every game since Tuchel took charge. Former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy should have done better when he could only parry Anthony Gordon's shot into the path of Kane, who tapped in his 73rd international goal. Dean Henderson was given a rare chance to impress in the England goal as Jordan Pickford was relegated to the bench. The Crystal Palace stopper made impressive saves from his club team-mate Sarr and Idrissa Gana Gueye. But he was helpless when Sarr made the most of a lack of concentration from Kyle Walker to meet Nicolas Jackson's cross and fire into the bottom corner. England had never lost to African opposition in 21 previous matches but Senegal had been beaten just once from open play since losing to the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup. 'Not good enough. We had moments, but with and without the ball things aren't clicking, we're not finding the right tempo,' said Kane. 'We've lost that aggressive nature that we had.' Diarra was afforded acres of room to run in behind the England defence and slot between the legs of Henderson to put the visitors in front just after the hour mark. Mendy makes amends Mendy made amends for his role in the opening goal with fine saves to deny Bukayo Saka and Morgan Gibbs-White a swift equaliser. England thought they had levelled late on when Jude Bellingham smashed home from a corner. ALSO READ: Bafana find their fire to blaze past Mozambique But the goal was ruled out for a handball by Levi Colwill before the ball broke to the Real Madrid midfielder. Senegal made the most of that reprieve to seal a famous win in stoppage time when Sabaly rounded off a slick counter-attack. Boos rained down from the disgruntled home support to leave Tuchel with plenty to ponder before England are next in action in September.