Barcelona coach Hansi Flick admitted he had goalkeeper Joan Garcia to thank for Saturday’s La Liga win over Espanyol.
Garcia put in a brilliant performance against his old club, helping Barcelona win 2-0 with late goals from substitute Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.
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Flick felt his team were lucky to take the three points and knew how important his goalkeeper was to the win.
“To be honest, we didn’t deserve this award. I have to say thank you to Joan Garcia because his performance was unbelievable. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” he told reporters afterwards.
“He was fantastic. I think he will never forget what he went through here. Manolo gave him confidence to play. Now he is with us and his performance is unbelievable. He had a great season. He was one of the key players in the victory.
“I talked to him, but he looked the same as always: calm, confident, focused… That’s why he played at the level he did. You watched today’s game and you understand how important his presence is. I’m happy to have him with us.”
Barcelona will now turn their attention to the Spanish Super Cup and Wednesday’s semi-final against Athletics Cup in Saudi Arabia.
