BARCELONA — Hansi Flick says the LaLiga title is not won yet despite seeing his Barcelona team thump Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday to move nine points clear of Real Madrid with just seven games to play.
Ferran Torres scored a brace and Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford were also on target at Spotify Camp Nou as Barça made it eight wins in a row in the league.
Barça’s latest victory came after another Madrid slip up, with Los Blancos following up last week’s loss to Mallorca with a draw against Girona on Friday.
– Madrid slam Mbappé penalty denial in costly draw
“It’s not done yet,” Flick insisted in the post-game news conference. “Nine points is good. It is a good feeling. But we have to do our homework.
“We can’t have the attitude that it’s done. That is the wrong way and I would not accept this. Until it’s done, we have to play our best.”
Torres scored twice in the first half to edge Barça into a two-goal lead at the break in Saturday’s Catalan derby.
They were the striker’s first goals since Jan. 31, ending a run of 13 games without finding the net, and he celebrated by cupping his ears in response to the criticism he has faced during that barren spell.
“Of course forwards are judged by goals,” Torres told reporters. “It had been a while since I had scored, but I always believed in what I was doing and that it would yield results in the end.
“There is always a lot of noise around me on the outside — more negative than positive. What I do bothers them. Sometimes things don’t come off, but it’s not down to a lack of work.”
Pol Lozano struck in the 56th minute to get Espanyol back into the game, but Yamal’s 15th LaLiga goal of the season and a late effort from Rashford sealed the points for Barça.
After the game, supporters stayed inside the stadium chanting “Yes we can,” as attention turned to Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal second leg at Atlético Madrid.
Atlético won the first leg 2-0 at Camp Nou last Wednesday, but Flick and his players believe they can produce a comeback in Madrid.
“The team is in a good mood, you can see that,” Flick added. “The atmosphere is good. The players are in a good moment.
“We need the perfect game and we are able to do this. I know Atlético is a fantastic team, but we also have a great team.
“I think everyone is ready for that. Everyone wants to show we can do this. We want to go there and put up a great fight — often games are decided by momentum and hopefully on [Tuesday] it’s ours.”
