Manager Hansi Flick “happy” Barcelona made the decision to sign the 24-year-old
Hansi Flick has praised Joan Garcia as “one of the best goalkeepers in the world” after his superb performance helped Barcelona to a 2-0 victory over local rivals Espanyol on Saturday.
Espanyol welcomed their Catalan rivals to the RCDE Stadium in impressive form, last season’s relegation contenders now fifth in the league and going strong. Espanyol created the better chances and should have gone ahead but magnificent saves from Garcia – who interestingly switched sides just last summer – kept the game goalless until Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski scored two late goals to secure a victory.
“I have to say thank you to Joan Garcia because he played unbelievable,” Flick said.
Returning to the stadium where he played for four years before joining Barcelona for €25m, Garcia was subjected to whistles by the home fans but managed to keep a cool head.
“He was fantastic [amid the whistles],” Flick said. “I know he appreciates a lot and will never forget what happened here [at Espanyol].
“Manolo [Gonzalez, the coach] gave him the confidence to play. He will never forget this, but it’s football and he plays now for us.
“His performances have been unbelievable for the whole season. He played fantastic, with a clean sheet and he was responsible for that.
Garcia has impressed since the start of the season, making crucial saves to keep Barcelona going when the defence has often floundered. He notably also made a string of top saves against Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas to save Barcelona a point after a disappointing performance from the rest of the team.
“It’s very important always [to have a top goalkeeper],” Flick said. “You can see the match [against Espanyol] so you know why it’s important.
“When you see Real Madrid, they also have a fantastic goalkeeper. A lot of big teams have this. I am happy he’s here and happy we made this decision to sign him in the summer.”
