Barcelona demonstrated their title credentials with a commanding 4-1 victory over Sevilla on Sunday, closing the gap to LaLiga leaders Real Madrid to just two points. However, coach Hansi Flick remains focused solely on his team's performance rather than the championship race.
The Catalans showcased their offensive prowess with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Raphinha, and Eric García, taking full advantage of Saturday's Madrid derby stalemate. The result has intensified the title race, with Atlético Madrid maintaining second place, one point ahead of Barcelona in third.
"We don't care about the other clubs," Flick stated firmly in the post-match press conference. "We have to do our job. We did it today really good. We want to focus on ourselves, not the other teams."
Barcelona's impressive form continues into 2025, with the team now unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches across all competitions. Their attacking prowess has been particularly noteworthy, scoring four or more goals in seven of these encounters. This remarkable run has led Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone to label them as Spain's finest team, though Flick modestly responded by acknowledging the competitive nature of LaLiga: "I think in LaLiga there are four or five teams that are really good. We are one of them. We have our style, how we want to play. We focus on that, not the other things."
The victory at the Sanchez Pizjuán wasn't without its challenges. After Lewandowski's early opener was quickly neutralized by Ruben Vargas, Barcelona suffered a setback when Ronald Araújo was forced off with an ankle injury after 20 minutes. The defender is scheduled for medical tests on Monday.
The match took several dramatic turns in the second half. Substitute López restored Barcelona's lead before Raphinha extended the advantage. However, López's stint was cut short when he received a red card just 15 minutes after coming on. Despite being reduced to ten men, Barcelona maintained their composure, with García adding a fourth goal to seal the victory.
Flick expressed particular satisfaction with his team's adaptability following the red card: "I am really proud about the team because when we get the red card, it's a good lesson for us. It's not our style or the way we want to play, with a 4-4-1 [formation], but we defend very well and, of course, we score again."
As a reward for their performance, Flick has granted his players three days of rest, capitalizing on a free midweek schedule secured through their direct qualification to the Champions League last 16. "We have now a good situation and we want it to keep going on," Flick explained. "When we win three points today, I said three days off. The team has three days to recover. They deserve it." The squad will reconvene on Thursday to begin preparations for their next fixture against Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
