Despite Barcelona’s heavy 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, manager Hansi Flick has rejected any sense of pessimism and insisted his side still have time to correct their course.
The German coach said an early-season defeat in a major fixture should not be viewed as the end of Barcelona’s hopes of winning silverware. “Titles are not decided in October. The Champions League will be decided in June,” Flick said.
Flick acknowledged that Barcelona made mistakes against the French side but argued that the performance should not be judged solely by the final score. He said the team had shown positive qualities as well as areas requiring improvement.
“We have to analyse the match, but I saw very good things and other things that we have to improve,” Flick told his post-match news conference. “I do not want to be negative; I am optimistic. It was a good experience, and we have to analyse what we can improve.”
Barcelona struggled to maintain their balance in the closing stages after the score moved to 3-2. That allowed Paris Saint-Germain to exploit the spaces opening up between the players and extend their advantage to two goals.
Defensive issues under review
Flick knows conceding four goals will require a close examination of Barcelona’s defensive display, particularly their positioning and the distances between the different areas of the team.
He called for greater composure and better connections between the players, warning that Barcelona must prevent large gaps from appearing in their shape.
“We have to play more calmly, position ourselves better and maintain our connections between the players,” Flick said. “We must not leave big spaces between us, and we have to be clearer about what we want to do.”
The manager also praised goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who made a number of important saves despite conceding four times. Flick added that Barcelona created opportunities which they could have used more effectively.
The defeat leaves Barcelona with little time to dwell on the result, with Real Madrid next on the schedule in Sunday’s La Liga Clasico.
Flick’s side will therefore be expected to respond quickly against their rivals, while addressing the defensive weaknesses exposed by Paris Saint-Germain and showing that the loss has not derailed their ambitions for the season.
