Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised Joan Garcia as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after the former Espanyol man inspired a 2-0 win over his old club in Saturday’s Catalan derby.
Garcia delivered a commanding display at the RCDE Stadium, making a string of key saves as league leaders Barcelona moved clear at the top of LaLiga on 49 points.
“The first thing I have to do is thank Joan Garcia,” Flick said after the match. “He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. We suffered, but we took the three points and that is the message we send to LaLiga.”
The 24-year-old was jeered throughout the evening by the home crowd, with banners aimed at him visible in the stands, but Flick praised his composure under pressure.
“Fantastic,” the German added. “I think he will not forget what he lived here, because he played for Espanyol and they gave him his opportunity. Now he plays for us, and he was one of the reasons for the win.”
Flick also revealed he spoke to Garcia before kickoff and was struck by his calmness. “I saw him calm, as always. Focused, convinced. The great teams have the best goalkeepers, and he is one of them.”
Espanyol coach Manolo Gonzalez refused to be drawn on Garcia’s performance despite his side creating several chances.
“I’m not going to talk about Joan,” Gonzalez said. “Whatever I say will be twisted. I don’t want to go into that. We were very close to winning and it slipped away. Today we should have won.”
Flick believes the derby victory will boost Barcelona ahead of Wednesday’s Super Cup clash with Athletic Bilbao. “It’s not easy after the Christmas break to play this match and go straight into the Super Cup,” he said. “But this victory will give us confidence.”
