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Coach Flick to Focus on Recovery as Barcelona Lead LaLiga Race

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Leganes v FC Barcelona - Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganes, Spain - April 12, 2025 FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick before the match REUTERS/Ana Beltran
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Leganes v FC Barcelona - Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganes, Spain - April 12, 2025 FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick before the match REUTERS/Ana Beltran
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Coach Flick to Focus on Recovery as Barcelona Lead LaLiga Race

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Leganes v FC Barcelona - Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganes, Spain - April 12, 2025 FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick before the match REUTERS/Ana Beltran
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Leganes v FC Barcelona - Estadio Municipal de Butarque, Leganes, Spain - April 12, 2025 FC Barcelona coach Hansi Flick before the match REUTERS/Ana Beltran

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick is focusing on his side's recovery ahead of the season's final stretch, in which they lead LaLiga and are still in contention for the Copa del Rey and Champions League. Barcelona extended their advantage in the Spanish top flight with a 1-0 win at Leganes on Saturday, completing a 12-match unbeaten run and moving seven points clear of second-placed Real Madrid.
"We have to focus on recovery, recovery, recovery. That's the way it is. We will arrive in Barcelona tonight, train tomorrow and fly to Dortmund on Monday," Flick told reporters.
"We have no excuses - we have to recover, but that's our job," he added, according to Reuters.
Defender Jorge Saenz's own goal was enough to secure victory for the Catalans, and Flick added that a win, however it came, was a win, especially after their packed calendar.
"Three points are three points and every game we fight for 90 minutes, when you see the load the players have had in the last few weeks or days, it's unbelievable.
"After the international break, you see what my players have done, my team's performance has been unbelievable. I'm very proud of them."
The coach was also quick to praise Inigo Martinez, who made a superb tackle in stoppage time to prevent Munir from scoring when he was already heading for Wojciech Szczesny's net.
"That was also part of the game, to defend well, yes, I celebrated it. It was a perfect game," Flick added.
Barca, who are unbeaten in 24 games across all competitions, visit Borussia Dortmund in their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday, having won the first game 4-0. They will then host Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday.

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Case Closed but Doping Still in Focus as Sinner Nears End of Ban

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Case Closed but Doping Still in Focus as Sinner Nears End of Ban

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 26, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates winning the final against Germany's Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

As Jannik Sinner nears the end of a three-month doping ban that shook the tennis world, players are flocking to anti-doping authorities seeking advice on how to avoid positive tests due to contamination.
The Italian agreed a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February and began an immediate three-month suspension after authorities accepted that the anabolic agent clostebol had entered his system via massages from his physiotherapist.
His case and that of Iga Swiatek left many players concerned about inadvertently being caught up in the doping net, and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) said it will step up efforts to help them safely navigate the path ahead.
"We have seen an increase of players asking for advice and assistance since the high-profile cases, and we are working on ways to make that easier," the ITIA told Reuters.
"There are lots of resources that are available to assist with checking supplements and medications. If players, coaches and medical staff have questions, they can contact us.
"We are not trying to trip people up, our role is to protect the sport and maintain a level playing field."
While Sinner's case has led to heightened vigilance within the tennis fraternity, some players remain unhappy with how it was handled in the belief that the 23-year-old received favorable treatment.
Novak Djokovic expressed frustration earlier this year at being "kept in the dark" about the case, while the outspoken Nick Kyrgios said that it was "disgusting" for the sport.
American great Serena Williams reignited the debate ahead of Sinner's return in Rome next week, saying she would have received a 20-year ban and had her Grand Slam titles taken away had she tested positive in a similar manner.
The ITIA has remained firm that all its cases are dealt with based on facts and evidence and not a player's name, nationality or ranking.
BUILD MOMENTUM
Apart from his enforced period of idleness, Sinner has largely been unaffected by the uproar, winning the US Open last year before successfully defending his Australian Open title in January.
In Rome, the world number one will aim to leave the doping saga behind him and build momentum for the French Open in late May.
He is all but assured of remaining at the top of the world rankings until Roland Garros after Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz failed to exploit his absence during the claycourt swing, but he does not expect a smooth road on his return.
"It certainly won't be easy for me. The first games will be really difficult," Sinner said.
"Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the rhythm and then we'll see how it goes."
Spanish great Rafa Nadal believes Sinner should now be allowed to focus on his tennis, while acknowledging the case had not been positive for the sport.
"In the end, if I'm not mistaken, he came out of the ruling as innocent," Nadal told Britain's Daily Telegraph.
"But these things happen sometimes, accidents happen, and that's how I see this because I believe in Jannik. I'm convinced from what I know of Jannik that he never tried to cheat or get an advantage over the rest.
"I'm sure that Jannik is an innocent and moral person ... I believe in the ruling. Jannik has accepted these three months of sanction and so: case closed."