Barça's 3-1 Triumph: Flick Praises Teamwork and Rafinha's Return
2 December 2025
Barcelona Triumphs 3-1 as Flick Praises Team and Rafinha Returns
Hans Flick, Barcelona's head coach, expressed great satisfaction with his team's performance after the important 3-1 victory over Atletico Madrid, insisting that the players produced one of their best performances this season, both individually and collectively.
Flick said after the game, as reported by Marca: "I think our performance was on a completely different level... we played against a big club, we were united and fought together, and that's what I saw today, it was wonderful and amazing."
The German coach added that he is very pleased with the team's development and the integration of new faces.
"I'm very happy. It’s very important that the new players gradually settle in. Some players haven’t reached full match fitness yet and we had to rotate, but we still controlled the game and created more space. All of that was very positive."
Flick spoke about Rafinha and his contributions after returning from injury: "He is a very important player for us, and his return gives the team extra power. We saw his impact today, and also in the previous match... I am happy with what he is producing."
On the physical condition of Pedri and Dani Olmo, the coach explained: "Pedri is fine, but he felt some fatigue. As for Olmo, he has a shoulder issue, and we'll assess the situation tomorrow."
Flick closed by stressing that the team is on the right track and continues to develop, saying daily work is the key to maintaining the upward curve and positive results.
Barcelona's goals came from Rafinha, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres in the 26th, 65th, and 90+6th minutes, while Atlético Madrid's only goal was from Álex Baena in the 19th.
With the win, Barcelona moved to 37 points at the top of La Liga, extending the lead to four points over second-placed Real Madrid, who host Athletic Bilbao tomorrow.
Punchline 1: If football were math, Barca just solved for X equals three goals.
Punchline 2: Flick’s press conferences are so tactical they come with a detachable playbook—bring your own pencil!
