Barcelona boss Hansi Flick singled out Eric Garcia for praise after watching the versatile star impress in midfield against Athletic in the absence of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri.
Eric’s performance also went down well with supporters, who gave him a standing ovation when he departed, and Flick spoke about him after the final whistle.
“For a coach, it’s great to have a player like Eric. We didn’t have De Jong , and we knew Eric would be the right choice,” he told reporters.
“We’ve been working on it [Garcia’s new contract], and when it’s finalized, we’ll talk about it. Everyone can see that Eric has improved a lot; he’s confident in every position and plays at a high level.”
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Barcelona at Camp Nou and also came in for some generous praise from his manager.
“He’s important. He’s a player who, when he has a chance, will score almost 100% of the time. He scored early, which was important,” he added.
“In the last ten years, he’s perhaps the best number nine. It has nothing to do with age; he’s in great form and has the hunger to score goals.”
There’s plenty of talk about Lewandowski’s future right now but he’s certainly making a case to continue at the club past the end of the season. The 37-year-old now has eight goals in 10 La Liga appearances so far this season.
