Barcelona boss Hansi Flick cut a composed figure despite watching his side slump to a heavy 4-1 defeat against Sevilla on a miserable night for the Catalan club.
The German coach, visibly disappointed but calm in his post-match comments, admitted Barcelona “weren’t able to score” and struggled to cope with Sevilla’s aggression in the first half.
“Football is about goals. If you score, you win, and today we weren’t able to score,” Flick said after the game. “We had chances, and we weren’t able to. The result isn’t good, but heads up and off we go.”
Missing key players including Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez, Barcelona looked disjointed from the start. Ronald Araujo’s early penalty foul — later confirmed by VAR — set the tone for a night filled with defensive errors and missed opportunities.
“Our objective is to have the ball, possession. In the first half, that wasn’t the case, and there are many reasons why. I have to be involved in that,” said Flick. “They played one-on-one, very aggressively, and we had no solutions to get the ball out. We made big mistakes. The first half was very bad.”
The coach, however, took encouragement from his team’s response after the break. “In the second half, I appreciated the reaction, how we played, it was good to see. I don’t need excuses for the goals; we have to focus on the mistakes and the defeat,” he said.
Flick stressed that the defeat was not his most painful in charge. “The most painful one, the one in Milan. I have to accept this defeat, but I’m positive. We have to change.”
Looking ahead, he noted that the international break could benefit his players. “After the international break, we will have important players back; it’s important that everyone returns to their best,” Flick said. “Right now it’s good to have a break… when we come back, we’ll try and work hard to get back to our level.”
Barcelona remain confident of regaining form once key players return.
