Hansi Flick, worried about Balde's injury after Barça's victory

FC Barcelona defeated Leganés at Butarque (0-1) in a match where the 'culés', once again, relied on their skill and collective work to secure three golden points that bring them even closer to the title. In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick once again expressed his satisfaction with the work done, mainly at the defensive level. Lega knew how to control the fearsome 'azulgrana' attack and also had some clear chances to tie.

However, between the defenders and Wojciech Szczesny, they managed to keep the clean sheet that represents Barça's 22nd victory in LaLiga. "The three points are very good for us. Sometimes you can think that matches are like Dortmund, Atlético... but no. There are very tough matches like today's. I am very proud of the team and, above all, of how they defended," the coach began by saying.

In that sense, he highlighted the interventions of Iñigo Martínez and Raphinha, in the discount time of the second half and the first half, respectively. "I celebrated that last action (Iñigo's) like a goal. Once again, we have kept a clean sheet. I am very happy with what my team has been doing these last weeks and months," added the 'azulgrana' coach.

Flick, worried about Balde's condition

Beyond the victory, not all was good news for Barça at Butarque. In the first half, Alejandro Balde left injured after disputing a ball with Altimira. The '3' managed to cut the ball in an action in which the locals claimed a foul by the 'azulgrana' full-back. Amid the protests, Álex sat on the grass, asking for assistance from the Barça doctors.

However, the youth player could not continue and Gerard Martín entered in his place. In this regard, Flick expressed his concern, since, pending the relevant tests this Sunday, everything points to a muscle injury. "We'll see tomorrow. I can only say that we have to wait," commented the coach with a serious expression. Who did, fortunately, avoid any twinge was Eric García. The '24' came on ten minutes from the end for Pau Cubarsí as a precaution. The same happened with Ronald Araujo, replaced by Frenkie de Jong at halftime.

Hansi Flick reveals the turning point for Barça in the season

On the other hand, the coach referred to the team's leap in quality this 2025. With the victory at Butarque, Barça has gone 24 matches without defeat this year, with a balance of 20 wins and 4 draws. In that sense, the man from Heidelberg revealed the turning point for the 'culés' in the season, after a 2024 that closed with 2 defeats in a row and 5 in the first round of LaLiga.

"Everyone has taken a step forward. At the beginning of November we suffered and after the Christmas break everything was different. The key was the defeat against Atlético. We lost, but we played very well and with that confidence we started the year. The players need more recovery, but we cannot control that," Flick pointed out.

And, regarding the 7-point advantage over Madrid, he added: "What we do is look at ourselves. Now we focus on recovering. I always tell the players that this is the most important thing. We will arrive in Barcelona in the early hours of the morning, tomorrow recovery and on Monday we will fly to Dortmund. But there are no excuses, we only focus on the pitch."