Flick: "The Champions League is the biggest tournament, and Barcelona has the quality to win it"

A day before the start of the Champions League, Hansi Flick sat down in front of the microphones at the Ciutat Esportiva and didn't mince words. For the German coach, there's no debate about the European competition: "it's the biggest tournament" in soccer. He said it on the eve of this season's opener against Feyenoord, with the locker room still processing how last season came to an end.

That's where the sore spot lies. The team was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Atletico Madrid, and that loss still stings. Flick didn't hide from it: "We always adapt to our opponents, maybe not too much, but we do it. It's worked out very well for us these past two years. Against Atletico it was harder for us last year. We'll see, but for now I'm happy with what I'm seeing." No triumphant speeches, but no doubts either: "Every big club dreams about the Champions League. I think we have the quality to win it, but we have to prove it. And we want to do that."

Ballon d'Or: "Several of them can win it"

The Ballon d'Or ceremony is in the air, and there was no way the topic wouldn't come up. With Lamine Yamal waiting his turn to sit in that same chair minutes later, Flick preferred to spread the credit across the whole locker room rather than single out one name: "We have a lot of fantastic players, and I'd be very happy if one of them wins the Ballon d'Or. That's not my job. What matters is the attitude and mentality day to day. Several of them can win it."

On Lamine, recently chosen as the club's fifth captain following an internal vote in the locker room, the German coach went beyond the numbers and spoke about something harder to measure: attitude.

"Lamine is a player who can decide matches. He loves to improve, we see it day by day, and what I see from him is fantastic. Now he's also one of the captains. What I like most is that he enjoys playing"Hansi Flick

Gordon, a mixed bag so far

The other name that stood out at the press conference was Anthony Gordon, the club's recent signing for the wing. His first matches left a good impression, and Flick didn't hold back on praise, though he also pointed to what still needs polishing: "As a forward he wants to score goals, create chances and deliver the final pass. That's also very important. He'll score goals soon enough. I'm very happy with his performance both defensively and in attack."

With the Champions League right around the corner, Flick's message is clear: there's plenty of quality in the squad, but the memory of the elimination against Atletico is still there, a reminder that ambition has to be backed up with results from the very first match.