German coach Hansi Flick didn’t hide his satisfaction after FC Barcelona’s hard-fought win over Leganés at Butarque — a more challenging match than expected that ended 0-1. An unfortunate own goal by Jorge Sáenz in the 48th minute secured the three points for the Catalan side, who remain firm leaders of LaLiga, seven points ahead of Real Madrid, although the latter still have to play their match against Alavés.

At the end of the game, Flick highlighted the character shown by his players in what he described as a “very tough” match, and praised the importance of keeping another clean sheet. “The most important thing today was the team’s mentality. We knew how to fight until the end and that makes me very proud,” the coach said at the press conference.

A victory of grit more than brilliance

Far from the attacking display seen in recent matches against teams like Borussia Dortmund or Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona had to dig deep to overcome a resilient Leganés side. For Flick, these “less spectacular” games are just as valuable. “Sometimes we expect all matches to be like the big Champions League clashes, but there are other very difficult ones like this, where every ball must be contested,” he reflected.

The German manager also explained that the pitch conditions and the intensity of the opponent made it hard to play quickly, so the team focused on possession and intelligently using the available spaces.

Focused on what’s next

Even though the win temporarily puts Barcelona seven points clear, Flick played down the gap and chose to focus on the team’s day-to-day effort. “We’re not looking at the others, only at ourselves. Now it’s time to recover and prepare for the next match. No excuses, just hard work,” he stated.

The coach also recalled the team’s turning point after their loss to Atlético late last year. “That match gave us confidence — we lost, but we played well. Since then, we’ve grown a lot,” he noted.

With this latest victory, Barcelona now have five wins in a row and are shaping up to be strong contenders for the title, with a more solid squad and a coach who doesn’t hold back in praising his players.