"He does not look for excuses" - Joan Laporta heaps praise on Barcelona boss Hansi Flick

Barcelona president Joan Laporta was full of praise for club manager Hansi Flick. Speaking at the Cruyff Foundation's Open Day, Laporta hailed the German for using the club's famed academy to its full extent.

He said (via The Daily Mail):

'Hansi knows that the best times have been when we have had many players from the academy reinforced with players of the level that we have signed.' Laporta said.

'He is doing very well. He has no excuses in the sense that he does not look for excuses. The injured players are an inconvenience, he overcomes it well, now the important ones are recovering, such as Frenkie de Jong, who has already played, as well as Olmo, Fermin, Gavi.'

Barcelona have enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning seven of their first eight La Liga games. They have shown to be a free-scoring side, scoring 25 times in eight games. Notably, Flick has made great use of La Masia talent, providing regular opportunities to the likes of Gerard Martin, Marc Casado, Pablo Torre and many more.

Some believe that Laporta's statements were made as a sly dig at previous manager Xavi. The pair reportedly did not have a great relationship, indicated by the confusion around his situation towards the end of the 2023-24 season. After announcing his intention to step down as manager in January, he was convinced to come back as manager by April, only for him to be let go anyway at the end of the campaign.

Hansi Flick clears up situation after Barcelona's huge win over Young Boys in Champions League

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick claimed that players' personal milestones were not relevant in view of the team's success. Speaking after the side's 5-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League, he said (via press conference):

“That’s part of the game. We don’t have just one player but many. There are many games and he has had many minutes. After playing, a change can be made. With Robert Lewandowski I have done the same. I’m sure he wanted to play more, but that’s it. We can’t take into account whether a player wants to continue playing or not,” Flick said.

This comes after Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal both showed frustration at being removed from the game. However, with the side already up 4-0, it is understandable that Flick wanted to prevent injury to his star players.

Pau Victor and Frenkie de Jong took their places respectively for the final 10 minutes. The win saw Barcelona open their tally in the Champions League after an opening gameweek loss to Monaco.