Barcelona backing Ronald Araujo’s recovery process gradually
Hansi Flick stated that Barcelona will continue to provide support for Ronald Araújo after the defender scored against Albacete in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, marking his first start for the club since returning from a mental health hiatus.
Araújo headed in Barça’s second goal as they achieved a 2-1 victory over the second division team, which had previously eliminated Real Madrid in the last round, securing their spot in the semifinal.
“For him, it’s step by step; this is the most crucial aspect,” Flick remarked in the post-match press conference regarding Araújo’s development since resuming training last month. “He also scored a very significant goal for us tonight. I believe it could assist him in gaining more confidence and believing in himself more. This is what we require and what he needs.
“We support him and provide assistance. He is doing well. Naturally, as you saw, he is also fatigued, but that is to be expected.”
Araújo sought time off to address mental health concerns at the end of November. During his absence from the sport, he visited spiritual locations in Jerusalem and Bethlehem and returned to his home country of Uruguay.
Since resuming training in January, he had made four substitute appearances for Barça, but Tuesday’s match marked his first start of the year.
In recognition of Flick’s support during what has been a challenging time personally, he ran to the bench after scoring against Albacete to embrace his manager.
“I am truly happy,” Araújo told reporters following the match. “The goal is dedicated to God, but I also made a gesture to my wife and then went to hug [Flick] — he has ensured that I have returned well.
“I am thankful for the backing I have received from the coach and my teammates. I am feeling better all the time.”
Araújo’s goal appeared to have secured a comfortable victory for Barça after Lamine Yamal’s opener, but a late header from Javi Moreno created a tense finish for the LaLiga leaders.
A Gerard Martín header off the line was necessary to prevent Albacete from taking the match into extra time, leaving Flick once again expressing concern over his team’s finishing, as he had done after Saturday’s win at Elche.
“It was a challenging match in the end, really tough,” Flick added. “We could have made it much simpler because we had control in the first half and for significant portions of the second.
“We create numerous chances. We need to finish much better, with greater conviction. In the end, it was close, but we deserved this.
“We have played Wednesday, Saturday, and now Tuesday. I am proud of the team’s effort. You must win cup matches, and we did. We are in the semifinal.”
Barcelona will host Mallorca in LaLiga on Saturday.
