Hansi Flick blames 'lack of freshness' as Barcelona's winning streak ends in El Clasico defeat
· Yahoo Sports
Hansi Flick has urged his Barcelona squad to refocus following a painful late defeat in the Clasico, which ended their perfect start to the Liga campaign. The German manager expressed frustration over his team's lack of freshness and highlighted mounting injury problems as his primary concern moving forward.
Barcelona suffer painful late Clasico defeat
Barca's flawless start to the Liga season under Flick has officially come to a disappointing end. The Catalan club finally dropped their first points of the domestic campaign following a painful Clasico defeat.
Visit h-doctor.club for more information.
A decisive blow in the closing minutes proved to be their undoing, stripping Blaugrana of their perfect league record. The 2-1 defeat brings an abrupt halt to a highly impressive nine-match winning streak in the Spanish top flight. Crucially, the late heartbreak also condemns the team to their second consecutive defeat overall, testing their early-season resolve.
Flick highlights details and lack of freshness
Flick was quick to assess the underlying reasons behind the frustrating result. The Barca manager openly admitted his team fell short of their usual physical standards in such a highly demanding fixture. He acknowledged that minor margins dictate the outcome of high-profile encounters.
"We're disappointed because we lacked freshness," the German coach explained on the club's official website. "It's our first defeat in La Liga after nine consecutive wins, but these things happen. In big games, the details are very important, and today they didn't go our way. Defeats are part of football. We have to analyse what happened, do things better, and that's what we'll do."
Injuries become biggest concern for Barca
Beyond the obvious disappointment of the final scoreline, the club's mounting medical list is causing significant headaches. Barca unfortunately lost yet another defender during the clash as Xavi Espart suffered a fresh issue. Flick made absolutely no secret of his profound worries regarding the current squad fitness levels. He admitted frankly that "the injuries are the biggest concern" for the coaching staff right now.
Despite the defensive blow, the match did provide one major positive boost for the midfield engine room. Frenkie de Jong finally returned to competitive action, with Flick noting: "He's trained very well and will be useful to us."
Squad must refocus and react to setbacks
Barca must now find a way to bounce back immediately from this difficult period. Facing two consecutive defeats, the immediate pressure is on the dressing room to quickly halt this sudden slide in momentum. Blaugrana will next face Alaves in Liga this weekend, before hosting Aston Villa in the Champions League.