Marcus Rashford was the star of the show as Barcelona kick-started their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
The on-loan Manchester United forward, back in England, produced an exquisite display in the final third, notably scoring both goals for Barcelona.
Hansi Flick was certainly delighted with Rashford’s performance on the night. He admitted it during the post-match press conference, where he also talked about other aspects of the game.
What Flick said after Barcelona’s win over Newcastle
Flick, in fact, was delighted with Barcelona’s overall performance on the night against Newcastle United.
“The atmosphere was fantastic, and Newcastle performed well. They are a physically strong team with tall players who are difficult to defend against in set pieces, but I greatly appreciate how we handled it. We controlled the match, and I’m happy to see what we achieved today,” he said.
Although Barcelona were the better of the two sides, the Catalans had to endure a nervy end to the game, especially after Anthony Gordon’s late goal.
Barcelona’s woes were compounded by the referee’s decision to award seven minutes of injury time.
“When they scored a goal, it wasn’t easy. We have a young team that is always striving to develop and improve, and that’s what I see from my players. We controlled the match, but we made a lot of mistakes,” he said about the final stretch of the game.
“Sometimes, we need to play with more seriousness, and we have to work on that. When you play against a team like Newcastle, which plays well on transitions, it’s important not to make too many mistakes, but we defended well today,” he added.
Flick reflected on Barcelona’s dominance in the first half, especially with Rashford creating many opportunities.
“In the first half, Rashford tried to create numerous opportunities, but the finishing was not good. That changed in the second half, but for a striker, it’s always important to score goals.
“I’m happy with what he did, even when he was in the penalty area and capitalised on the cross. When I spoke with Deco in the summer, I told him about the need to bring in a player like Rashford, and I’m happy to have him with us,” he said.
Flick went on to talk about Marcus Rashford at length after the Englishman scored a stunning brace against the Magpies.
“I’m not surprised by what Rashford did. I said yesterday that he is a great player with high talent, and his skills and finishing are unbelievable. During halftime, I told him: Please score a goal. No, actually, I didn’t say that to him,” he said.
“I’m happy with him, for me he’s an important player, and the team helps him a lot, especially with ball control when we have players like Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, it’s not easy for us to be pressed,” he added.
A top class performance from Rashford agianst Newcastle United. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
“This is what gives the forwards the opportunity to find the right spaces behind the opponents. That’s a good thing; he has strength, speed, and ball control that he can exploit a lot,” he further added.
When asked about whether or not Rashford can succeed at Barcelona, Flick revealed that his performance against Newcastle United is a good start.
“I think today was the first step toward that. He needs to do it in what’s to come as well. Scoring his first goal in his first Champions League match with Barcelona against Newcastle is a good thing that gives him confidence,” he said.
Interestingly, Rashford was starting due to the absence of Lamine Yamal due to injury. Talking about Yamal’s absence, Flick highlighted how it was crucial to have someone who could replace the young Spaniard.
“We need good options when players like Lamine are not available. In every position, we have two players of high quality and it’s good to have that,” he said.
Joan Garcia was another player in focus as the former Espanyol starlet delivered a top performance in between the sticks.
Garcia was particularly important in helping Barcelona play out from the back, with the goalkeeper showcasing his skill on the ball.
“This is the philosophy of FC Barcelona. Having a goalkeeper who is skilled at playing with his feet gives us more possession of the ball and makes him an additional player, capable of playing calmly. This is a good thing,” Flick said.
The Barcelona coach went on to talk about the returning Frenkie de Jong, who started ahead of Marc Casado in midfield.
“Frenkie was absent for a week or 10 days, and he played 90 minutes today, and that’s a good thing. I’m surrounded by a fantastic physical staff, and you can see that on the pitch where everyone is 100% fit,” he said.
Finally, Flick was asked about the prospect of playing the next Champions League game at Montjuic, to which the German offered a rather coy response.
“Sorry, you’re asking me about something that’s still far off. We need to analyse today’s match now, then focus on the Getafe match, and I know we’ll play it at Johan Cruyff,” he concluded.
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