Hansi Flick Confirms Joan Garcia's Absence for Sevilla Match

Barcelona will walk into the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan without Joan Garcia. Hansi Flick made that clear: the goalkeeper’s knee problem, picked up against Racing Santander, rules him out of the trip to Sevilla.

The injury is not dramatic, but the verdict from the medical staff was firm enough. Rest now, avoid something worse later.

“We always make decisions together. When the doctors told us what was wrong with him – it’s not very serious, but he needs to rest – we decided he should rest,” Flick explained.

With Garcia out, the spotlight swings straight to the two men behind him.

Szczesny or Livakovic?

Wojciech Szczesny’s CV almost picks itself. Titles, pressure games, decisive saves. He was a cornerstone of last season’s La Liga triumph, and Flick did not shy away from reminding everyone of that.

“We won La Liga with Szczesny; it was largely thanks to him. For us, he’s a fabulous goalkeeper with a wealth of experience,” the coach said.

Yet Dominik Livakovic is not just a name on the teamsheet. Flick underlined that the Croatian is viewed as a genuine rival, not a token backup.

“I think it’s very important to have quality. I think that, with [Dominik] Livakovic, we also have a top-class goalkeeper – that’s just the way it is.”

So who starts in Seville? Flick shut that conversation down with a short, sharp answer.

“You’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

The debate has been sharpened by Szczesny’s costly mistake against Racing. Cameras caught Flick speaking to him at the final whistle. The German admitted the issue has already been dealt with, and done so behind closed doors.

“I’ve already told him that we all make mistakes. He made a mistake and he’s aware of it; it won’t happen again.”

Flick then broadened the point. For him, this is about philosophy, not just one slip.

“I think that, right now, the situation with Tek is that he knows what our philosophy is. And Dominik has just played; he’s adapting to our approach. And that’s the issue.

“He can play, he’s ready to play, and that’s what we have to consider. But we always look out for what’s best for the team, not for one player.”

A different Barcelona returns to Sevilla

Barcelona go back to a stadium that hurt them last season. They lost there, and they remember it. Flick insists this is not the same side that fell at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.

“I have to say, first of all, that I think we’re now at a different level to where we were last year. But every match starts at 0–0 and Sevilla, especially at home, are playing very well.”

He knows exactly what to expect: aggression, duels, pressure high up the pitch.

“They defend man-to-man and will try to press in those situations. For us, it will be important to play with confidence and move the ball out wide.”

The calendar offers no sympathy. Barcelona are in the middle of a heavy run of fixtures, and Flick has made recovery almost a central theme of his work.

“We’re working on that every day. Recovery is a very important part of it and we’re managing our workload very well. And that’s what we need to keep doing. For me, that’s the key.

“We’ve got a lot of matches coming up and we need to keep recovery in mind.”

Adeyemi’s spark and Jesus in the rotation wheel

One player riding that wave of games comfortably is Karim Adeyemi. His recent performances have injected pace and directness into Barcelona’s attack, and Flick clearly enjoys coaching him.

“He’s very quick, but I don’t know if he’s the quickest player I’ve ever coached. Alphonso Davies is similar. But he’s a good lad, a good person, and he has a lot of respect for the dressing room.

“Everyone loves him dearly. His performances make things easier.”

Flick did not hide his satisfaction at Adeyemi’s decision to join.

“I’m really glad he chose us. I’ll put my trust in him and I’m 100% behind Karim. We’ll see more matches like the one on Wednesday.”

The other side of a packed schedule is rotation. Gabriel Jesus is part of that equation, but, like with his goalkeepers, Flick kept the specifics of his lineup close to his chest.

“We’ll see, but we have to keep making changes to manage each player’s minutes.

“As for whether he’ll start, it was important for him to rest against Racing. For now, that’s all I can say.”

Demands in the dressing room

On the inside, Flick is pushing hard. He talked openly about the environment he and his staff are trying to build, and he did not pretend everything is already perfect.

“I think it’s not just my job, but that of the entire coaching staff. We work together, with positive energy.”

Then came the honest part.

“To be honest, I’m not entirely happy with this at the moment because we’re only just starting the process and there’s room for improvement.

“But right now I’m not 100 per cent satisfied because we always demand a lot and we need to improve things.”

That demand runs through his tactical choices as well, especially the way Barcelona press from the front. Raphinha, now operating as a number nine, has become the trigger for everything they do without the ball.

“If you look at the last two seasons, we always started the press with the ‘number 9’. And he has that hunger, that drive and that attitude to start the press exactly as we need him to.

“Not only is he excellent in attack, but he’s also excellent in defence. He’s the one who starts the press. As captain, he leads the way and the rest follow him,” Flick concluded.

Sevilla will test all of that – the keeper choice, the fitness management, the pressing structure, the fragile balance inside the dressing room. If Flick is right about this being a “different level” Barcelona, the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan is exactly where they now have to prove it.