09-04-2025
Perfectionist Flick says Barca can improve as Kovac bemoans defence
Barcelona coach Hans-Dieter Flick gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg soccer match between FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund at Olimpic Lluis Companys. Federico Gambarini/dpa
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his side can still get even better despite their 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.
The hosts put one foot in the last four ahead of next Tuesday's second leg in Germany thanks to Raphinha, a Robert Lewandowski double and Lamine Yamal.
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"We even made too many mistakes tonight, there are still things to work on," German Flick, who led Bayern Munich to the title in 2020, told DAZN.
"I don't want to compare (Bayern 2020 with Barca 2025). There is an unbelievable atmosphere in the team. I haven't seen us in this form and this quality."
Barca have lifted the European Cup five times and will have one eye on the semi-finals, where they would meet the winners of Inter Milan against Bayern - with the Italians 2-1 up from the away second leg.
"We have so many players here who have enormous quality and believe in themselves," Flick added of the Spanish league leaders. "They take on the way we want to play football and they bring the fans with them."
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Dortmund boss Niko Kovac, who must now rally his troops to visit leaders Bayern in the Bundesliga on Saturday, could see few positives.
"We thoroughly deserved to lose today," he said. "We punished ourselves, the last goal I think came from our throw-in. It's not good.
"We defended badly. You can lose to a team like this but it how you do it."
