( pony88 )  Hansi Flick questions La Liga over unfavourable fixtures for Barcelona ahead of Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan pony88

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has complained about the Blaugrana’s late game against Inter Milan in their Champions League semi-final, with the German feeling La Liga should be more accommodating to Spanish football, Diario Sport reports on Friday.  

Barcelona face Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon, before hosting Mallorca on Tuesday evening (9.30pm local time). The Blaugrana then face Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, April 26 at 10pm. 

This is followed by a Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan on Wednesday, April 30, followed by an away game at Real Valladolid on Saturday, May 3 at 9pm, before the second leg of the semi-final against the Nerazzurri on Tuesday, May 6. Flick believes La Liga should be more lenient in scheduling late games for the good of Spanish football. 

‘Do you know how many games we have played in the last few weeks? And did you know we were going to play late against Valladolid? We played very late, maybe the players went to bed at 4 or 5 in the morning. I don’t want to make excuses, but here it happens a lot and I’ve never seen it like this before. Every league has to defend its club in the Champions League and especially in the semi-finals. It’s incredible.’

‘And we don’t have time to rest and I want to speak to the people in charge because they don’t know what it is like and of course my team maybe didn’t play well and other teams who played better than us were eliminated and we played a great game at home and it’s like that, it’s normal, maybe we’re not at our best moment but the team is doing well. ‘

‘I’m really happy for them, they gave their all and of course in Dortmund they didn’t give their all but we achieved our goal, which was to reach the semi-finals. For us, for the club, it’s very positive, for the fans, for the team.’

‘When we started pre-season and now we’re on April 18 and people say we’re in the semi-finals and the final of the cup and we’re at the top of the table, I kiss them, I hug them and I say I accept it, absolutely.’

‘But I will defend them. We are in the semi-finals. We have lost only one game and we have to be positive.’ 

pony88 ‘All the federations, the Bundesliga, the Premier League, they take care of their clubs, but we don’t do it here, it’s just, ‘Come on, let them play’. They come back at 5 or 6am. We’ve had four hours of sleep, it’s incredible,’ Flick said. ( pony88 )