Manager of Barcelona Hansi Flick appeared in front of the media before Saturday's match with Real Valladolid. The key talking point was the injury to Marc Bernal, who is out for the rest of the season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Blaugrana have made a bid for Liverpool starlet Stefan Bajcetic, but with no room in their salary cap, they appear to have accepted that they cannot replace Bernal. Flick was asked who would cover that absence.
“We have two options that can play the position, it's clear, one is Marc Casado and the other is Eric Garcia. He is more of a central defender, but he can also play there. He did in the last games, and in training, and he did very well.”
Flick: “We had three good results. Of course, there are things to improve and we will try to do this tomorrow. Valladolid defends very well and knows how to attack, they are fast. It will be a tough match. .”
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He went on to note how well Bernal was doing at the time.
“It is as it is, and I knew the situation when I signed here, I'm happy with the team now.. I never looked (what could have been). It's a shame because Marc Bernal was doing fantastic at only 17 years old, he was amazing how he did with our ideas, and also Rayo. When I saw the last three games, when we analyzed him, we saw that he was doing fantastic things.”
“We will replace him, and the team that is here, I am happy.”
It was perhaps noted that Frenkie de Jong was not highlighted as one of the players who could replace Bernal. The Dutchman was earmarked as a long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets when he arrived at the club, but has struggled in that role.
“I saw a lot of good things from Marc Bernal, now we have to focus on the players who will replace him: Casado or Eric. We will give them the opportunity to play in this position. I am convinced that they can do it too, and play well here.”
Flick has been asked about de Jong's fitness, with some reports suggesting he may need surgery on his ankle injury and others that he could be back after the next international break in mid-September.
“I hope he doesn't have to undergo surgery. He's in the recovery process, he's taken a big step forward and now we have to wait. He's training really well and we'll see. I hope he can come back after the break, but I can't say for sure. The medical team is doing a very good job.”
Barcelona face Valladolid at 17:00 CEST at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, with the Blaugrana hoping to remain perfect through the first four games of the season. They have already built a four-point lead over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and they want to keep that too.
