Barcelona must keep winning to catch up with leaders Real, Flick says

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was happy that his team moved within four points of LaLiga leaders Real Madrid with Sunday's 1-0 win over Deportivo Alaves, but remained aware that the pressure was still on Barca to catch up in the title race.

Real lost 1-0 at Espanyol on Saturday, giving Barcelona a chance to make up for some of the points they dropped during a four-match winless streak in December-January.

"Today we gave a really good answer because it was a tough match and Alaves, they defend really good," Flick told reporters.

"I think for us it's a good situation, better than before. It was necessary to win today, and the team did good because the pressure was on them."

Barcelona are third in the table, with second-placed Atletico Madrid a point below Real.

"Atletico and Real, they are fantastic teams... we have to do our job. We are some points behind, so we have to win. We have to make pressure on them," Flick said.

The coach was happy that Lewandowski, the leading scorer in the league, stepped up for Barcelona yet again, netting the only goal of the match.

"He's the best number nine in the box and it was very important for us today that he scored," he said.

Flick was also pleased with 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, who played a pivotal role in Barcelona's attack, creating multiple chances and setting up Lewandowski's goal.

"What he did today in some situations is unbelievable and I'm very happy that he is playing for Barca," he said.

The coach also revealed that Gavi, who was taken off after a clash of heads with Tomas Conechny, was not seriously injured.

"I think he's on the way home, nothing happened. This is the good news," he added.