Hansi Flick says Barcelona lacked freshness in loss against Real Madrid

Despite the loss against Real Madrid, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said that no doubts are creeping into the dressing room. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick said that his side lacked freshness in the 1-2 La Liga defeat against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.

The loss put an end to Barcelona’s nine-game winning start to the league season and came on the back of its 2-4 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League in midweek.

“It’s two defeats, and we’re not happy. We’re disappointed. The first half wasn’t good; we improved in the second after it was 1-1. I’d say it’s clear we played against a high-quality opponent who did very well without the ball. We lacked freshness,” Flick said after the match.

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“These past few weeks, after the match against Betis, haven’t been easy. You only see the matches, but being on a plane for three hours to Seville, returning to the hotel, then going to Paris; it’s a lot. But I don’t want to talk about this when we lose; it’s better when we win. And I won’t accept excuses,” he added.

However, despite the two losses, Flick asserted that no doubts are creeping into the dressing room.

“I don’t think this defeat will create any doubts within the team. Everyone knows the situation. After these defeats, there are no excuses. But I know what we need to improve on. I’m not worried because this is part of the game and the sport,” Flick said.