After FC Barcelona’s decisive victory over Real Madrid in El Clasico, head coach Hansi Flick has his team firmly positioned as title contenders in the 2024-25 La Liga season. With 10 wins and just one loss in 11 matches, Flick’s Barcelona appears poised to compete for the championship, yet the German coach is urging caution in the title race.

It’s been a stellar week for Barcelona, marked by a 5-1 rout of Sevilla, a commanding 4-1 UEFA Champions League victory over Bayern Munich, and their triumph over Real Madrid. While fans are understandably buzzing, Flick tempered expectations in Saturday’s press conference, underscoring that there’s still a long season ahead.

“I said before it’s a long way, and we know that a lot of things could happen. We are in a good mood, we have a flow, and we have to keep going on,” Barca’s coach said. “This is our plan, and I am happy with today’s training because they showed a lot of quality, if we show it tomorrow, I think the fans will be happy,” he added.

He emphasized the importance of celebrating recent achievements while maintaining the discipline and drive needed for the months to come. “Focus more on our team and ourselves is the most important thing,” Flick ended the topic.

With the El Clasico win, Barcelona has opened up a six-point lead over Real Madrid, sitting atop La Liga with 30 points. In the 2024-25 Champions League, Los Cules are currently 10th, two positions shy of automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Flick eager to see Frenkie de Jong back to his best

In addition to financial constraints, Barcelona has faced a spate of injuries, sidelining key players like Ronald Araujo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, and Eric Garcia. However, Flick expressed satisfaction in having Frenkie de Jong back in the lineup for Real Madrid, viewing the Dutchman as a stabilizing presence.

“I appreciate what I see from Frenkie. You can see in the second half in Madrid, he gave us stability, ball control, and he’s a fantastic player. He’s been out due to his injury a lot of months, not on the team, not playing. So now we start with him, and now he helps us to have more options, more possibilities. For us is a good thing,” Flick said in the press conference.

De Jong was injured in last season’s El Clasico, leaving on a stretcher following a collision with Real’s Federico Valverde. He was subsequently diagnosed with a severe Grade 2 sprain in his right ankle, sidelining him for six months. Now back, De Jong is set to play a crucial role for Flick’s Barcelona.

What’s next for Barcelona?

Barcelona hosts the Catalonian derby against Espanyol on Sunday for Matchday 12 of La Liga, aiming to further solidify their league position. They’ll then turn their attention to the Champions League, with a key matchup against Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday as they strive to advance in Europe.