“We can’t have the attitude that it’s done,” manager warns
Hansi Flick says the La Liga title race is not yet decided despite Barcelona moving nine points clear at the top with a 4-1 win over Espanyol.
The Blaugrana extended their winning run in the league to eight matches, taking advantage of dropped points by Real Madrid, who followed their recent defeat to Mallorca with a draw against Girona.
“It’s not done yet,” Flick said after the match. “Nine points is good. It is a good feeling. But we have to do our homework.
“We can’t have the attitude that it’s done. That is the wrong way and I would not accept this. Until it’s done, we have to play our best.”
Ferran Torres scored twice in the first half to put Barcelona in control, ending a 13-game run without a goal. Lamine Yamal added his 15th league goal of the season, while Marcus Rashford also found the net to complete the scoring.
Pol Lozano briefly reduced the deficit for Espanyol in the second half, but Barcelona maintained control to secure the win. Attention now turns to the Champions League quarterfinal second leg against Atletico Madrid, where Barcelona must overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
“The team is in a good mood, you can see that,” Flick said. “The atmosphere is good. The players are in a good moment.
“We need the perfect game and we are able to do this. I know Atletico is a fantastic team, but we also have a great team.
“I think everyone is ready for that. Everyone wants to show we can do this. We want to go there and put up a great fight. Often games are decided by momentum and hopefully on [Tuesday] it’s ours.”
