Barcelona coach Hansi Flick mocked Real Madrid during a press conference ahead of the Catalan club’s Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Atlético Madrid.
To reach the semi-finals, Barça overcame three second-division teams: Guadalajara, Racing, and finally Albacete. A journalist asked the German coach if Barcelona deserved to reach this advanced stage when they hadn’t faced a tough La Liga opponent.
Flick responded by mocking Real Madrid, saying, “Are second-division teams easy? Ask Real Madrid!” This was a reference to Los Blancos’ elimination from the competition in the round of 16 at the hands of Albacete, a team battling relegation in the Segunda División.
Flick added, “We have to respect the second-division teams too. Last year, we played in Barbastro, then Real Betis and Valencia, and the results were better than this year. It was the same in Albacete and Santander. We have to respect those teams.”
He concluded, “It’s the Copa del Rey, and they’ve shown great quality. They’ve managed to beat first-division teams. For me, there’s no point in arguing about Barcelona and Real Madrid. It’s just a waste of energy.”
It’s worth noting that Barcelona struggled to secure a victory against Racing Santander away from home in the round of 16, and they almost witnessed a historic comeback from Albacete, but Gerard Martín’s last-minute equalizer ensured the Blaugrana reached the semi-finals as they continue their defense of the Copa del Rey title, which the Catalans have won 32 times previously, most recently last season.
