Hansi Flick rejects Mourinho’s line: “no excuses” for Barça’s run

Hansi Flick, Barcelona’s coach, pushed back at José Mourinho’s criticism about rest time and told his team there will be no excuses: “Lo que le digo al equipo es que no hay excusas… Esta es la situación y lo que podemos hacer es mirar cómo jugamos.”

The German manager takes on a brutal spell of three matches in just eight days: Betis, PSG and Real Madrid. Ahead of Sunday’s game versus Real Betis, Flick insisted the priority is that “lo más importante es ganar mañana al Betis”. He pointed to the opponent’s confidence after winning at home and strong Champions results, especially in attack and the “uno contra uno”.

Flick refused to look further ahead: “Solo nos centramos en el próximo partido.” He also confirmed Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong are available, and praised the team’s defensive work even through the tight schedule, as TuFutbolero reports citing Mundo Deportivo.