Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was thrilled with his side’s heroics to roar back and grab a breath-tacking 3-2 win in extra-time and beat fierce rivals Real Madrid to lift the Copa del Rey title on Saturday.
The German coach said that his treble chasing players should not hold back in celebrating the record-extending 32nd Spanish Cup title and worry later about Wednesday’s Champions League semi-finals first-leg against Inter Milan.
“It has been a simply perfect night,” Flick told a press conference in the early hours of Sunday.
“I am very proud. For me, it’s amazing what they are doing, how they fight. I really appreciate what they do, that they never give up. I think everyone, the club, the fans, are proud of this team.
“To win a title in a game like the Clasico against Real Madrid is always special. I’m happy for my players and for the thousands of fans who were in the stands, they deserved this title.
“Now we must celebrate and then the objective must be to recover, recover and recover. The treble is an option, but we have to keep working.”
Barca, in scintillating form, recorded their third consecutive win against a stumbling Real Madrid who have already lost 4-0 at Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga in October and 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia in January.
The blaugranas are undefeated in domestic competition since late December, playing some of the best football in Europe this season, in the driver’s seat to win the Spanish league title.
Barca top LaLiga on 76 points, four ahead of Real, and after Wednesday’s Champions League match against Inter, they will face last-placed Valladolid before hosting Real in a LaLiga clash that could decide the league title on May 11.
Flick attributed his side’s success to the attitude of his players and how focus they have been, saying that the sky is the limit if they keep their feet on the ground.
“At the beginning of the season I said I was here, with my assistants, to create a good atmosphere in the dressing room,” Flick said.
“I wanted show them they could enjoy the game and that they could play at the highest level. I think creating that atmosphere in the dressing room is important and key.
“It gives a lot of confidence. This is a matter of everybody. The staff, the players… They have a fantastic mentality. If you look at how they came back from the game, the ability to think positive to turn it around…”
