‘I won’t accept it’ – Hansi Flick sends Barcelona title warning after Espanyol win

Barcelona moved nine points clear at the summit of La Liga with only seven fixtures remaining after a derby triumph over Espanyol, yet manager Hansi Flick refused to entertain any notion that the title race is settled. Addressing his squad in the wake of the victory, the German coach issued a blunt reminder that complacency will not be tolerated inside the Camp Nou dressing room.

“It’s not over yet. Nine points is good, but we have to finish it off,” Flick stressed. “We can’t go on with this attitude, I won’t accept it. Until it’s over, we have to play our best, and then, too. We’re going to keep going like this, I hope we can show it on Tuesday.”

Barcelona have navigated a season punctuated by injuries, but a recent run of form has repaired the damage and restored confidence ahead of a decisive fortnight. Flick praised the collective response while urging his players to sustain the standards that have put the club within touching distance of domestic silverware.

“What we’ve achieved so far is fantastic. Now we want to advance in the Champions League,” he added. “We think we have the quality to win La Liga and the mentality to win, too. You can’t win anything with just quality. We can win La Liga, but it’s not over yet.”

Attention now pivots to Europe, where Barcelona must overturn a first-leg deficit against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. Flick rejected suggestions that only a miracle can rescue the tie, insisting his side is more than capable of turning the contest around.

“We don’t need a miracle, we need to play a good game, and we can do that,” he said. “Anything is possible. Atlético is fantastic, but we have a good team and we are capable of doing it.”

The winners of the all-Spanish clash will face either Arsenal or Sporting CP in the semi-finals, with the English outfit holding a slender 1-0 advantage from the opening leg in Portugal.

Saturday’s derby hero, a teenage forward who struck twice to set another personal milestone, echoed his manager’s rallying cry, underlining that the squad’s focus remains fixed on trophies rather than statistics.

Barcelona, buoyed by a commanding league position and the belief instilled by their coach, now carry the fight on two fronts, mindful that the season’s defining moments are still to come.