Barcelona manager Hansi Flick started with a pointed explanation about the planning of matches in the Spanish football prior to their collision with Osasuna on Thursday evening. The delayed fixture of the Blaugrana was rearranged, with some of their players returning with less than 48 hours between their international luminaires.
The Blaugrana also only has 65 hours of rest between their match against Osasuna and their Sunday collision with Girona. It was immediately the first point of conversation in his press conference for the game on Wednesday.
“The players have played with their teams, and now it's time for us to play tomorrow. After we have left Leganes at 9 p.m., so we play late, we arrive late. We will have little rest.”
“It has to do with the recovery of the players. I am not happy with this. You see other competitions, how they deal with it, with the Champions League, it's completely different. It's not about Real Madrid vs Barca, it's about protecting Spanish teams.”
“But we can't change it, we will play and I have always said there are no excuses. The team is ready and we can win every game. Now I think about this positively.”
Both Barcelona and Osasuna appealed against the decision to arrange the match so soon after the international break, instead looking for a date later in the season, without little frustration. Flick was asked for his response.
“We have to accept it. That's how they decided. We can't change it. It is the task of UEFA or FIFA to decide whether the players can rest. Perhaps that is the only option for them to say two or three days of rest. Ultimately it is. La Liga has given the way.”
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