Barcelona snuck past Guadalajara in their first game of the Copa del Rey this season, with late goals from Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford. In spite of a rather wanting performance, Hansi Flick seemed content with his charges.
Speaking after their clash at the Pedro Escartin, Flick explained that he was pleased with attitude, even if it was not a stellar performance.
“Playing in the Copa is not easy, but in the end the most important thing is attitude and mentality, and they have shown it,” he told MD.
“These matches are never easy; the attitude on the pitch is the key to victory. We both [teams] showed it, and the match went to us.”
🎙️ Hansi Flick and Christensen speak after the Copa victory.
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 17, 2025
After all of the reporting in the lead up to the match suggested that it would be Wojciech Szczesny in goal, having announced that Joan Garcia would be rested, Flick surprised by selecting Marc-Andre ter Stegen for his first appearance since May after recovering from back surgery. Despite a solid comeback and a cleanrsheet, Flick explained that ter Stegen would not be in contention going forward.
“He’s the captain and very important to the team. Today he had the opportunity to play, and I gave it to him in a competition like the Copa. I respect him. It’s another step for him. It’s just for today. That’s all.”
Another selection that raised eyebrows was that of Marc Casado. On Monday, Flick had told the press that he felt Casado was more of a midfielder, when asked if he could play at right-back – “I think Casado is strong in midfield. He can play as a 6 or an 8, and I’m thinking more of him in that position,” Flick had commented.
Yet in Guadalajara, it was indeed Casado who began at right-back, moving into midfield for the final 15 minutes. Flick reasoned that he was keen to rest Jules Kounde.
Jofre Torrents: "I've felt comfortable doing what I know how to do. Playing with Barça is a dream; at the beginning, I was a bit nervous, yeah. I'm happy. These matches are tough because they go all out."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 16, 2025
“Casado can play as a full-back, for me he’s more of a 6 or an 8, but I wanted to give Jules a rest and it’s important that he gets some playing time.”
Barcelona will find out their next opponents on the 7th of January when the draw for the next round is made. Their final game of 2025 is against in-form Villarreal at La Ceramica on Sunday, when they will be desperate to close out the year with as large of a gap as possible to Real Madrid.
