"Dani Olmo knows how to play as a ‘9’, the plan worked out well"

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his side controlled "the game from the start" to beat Betis 5-1 and qualify for the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.

"Today, it was very important to win after the great victory against Real Madrid in the Super Cup. The team reacted very well after a long trip and just one training session. We controlled the game from the start," the German coach said.

Flick explained that he reserved Robert Lewandowski to give him a rest and opted to place Dani Olmo as a centre forward because "he knows how to play as a “9”, as he did in the national team". "The plan worked well. We had an extra player in midfield, we controlled the ball and the distances between the players were perfect," he added.

The Barca coach said he is "happy" that Uruguayan centre-back Ronald Araujo is in the team because he brings "special things" and praised midfielder Frenkie de Jong for taking "a step forward in the right direction" after his start.

Flick was full of praise for Pedri: "He is everywhere. It's unbelievable how he understands football and performs in every game. He runs a lot, but he does incredible things with the ball. His improvement as a leader is very important. In some games, we have struggled a bit in midfield, we need more control and he is perfect for that."

On winger Lamine Yamal, he claimed that, "in the big games, you see the big talents and he has shown that many times", but insisted on the need to "look after him" because of his youth.

He also pointed out that Gavi is the player who starts the pressure in the opposition's half alongside winger Raphinha. "In defence, he wins duels and is very important for us, but he is also important in attack because he knows how to play with the ball," he said about the Andalusian player.