“My fault”- Hansi Flick takes responsibility as Barcelona show soft underbelly vs Levante | OneFootball

FC Barcelona maintained their perfect start to the 2026-27 La Liga season with a 4-2 win over Levante. However, manager Hansi Flick was left frustrated by the way his side lost control of the game and allowed a comfortable evening to become far more difficult than it needed to be.

The visitors made an excellent start at the Estadio Ciudad de Valencia, rushing to a three goal lead before the hour mark. Xavi Espart opened the scoring on the night, before a Lamine Yamal double put Barcelona firmly in the driver’s seat.

The tie appeared all but over at the moment, only for Levante to pull two goals back. Espart misplaced a poor pass, allowing Ivan Romero to get the hosts on the board. Roger Brugue clawed one back in the 88th minute before Karim Adeyemi put the game to bed in stoppage time, much to Flick’s relief.

Speaking after the game via SPORT, the German tactician opted to spare Espart his blushes and instead took responsibility for his side losing control of the match. Flick revealed that the player had asked to be substituted in the leadup to his error, and the bench had considered making the change before opting to wait.

Flick said:

No lack of accountability

The admission is a significant one, given how close the visitors came to throwing away their advantage. While Adeyemi eventually put the tie to bed, hearts would have been fluttering in the Barcelona camp after Levante grabbed their second goal of the night.

Flick was not blind to his side’s struggles and firmly noted that the lack of composure was a pressing need. He said:

“We had a great start, but then we broke down a bit, we needed to play more calmly.”

The dry surface on the night certainly presented the Barcelona players with an added challenge, but there is just no excuse for them surrendering control before the final whistle. It is fair to say that a more formidable opponent could have made the Blaugrana pay dearly. At 3-0, the game appeared finished before one mistake changed the mood completely, and Flick was quick to acknowledge that his own decision had contributed to it.

For Flick, the bigger concern will not be the mistake itself, but how quickly Barcelona allowed one poor moment to alter the rhythm of the game. Elite teams have to recognise when a contest is drifting and kill it before the opposition senses an opening. The encouraging part is that Flick did not hide behind the individual error and instead accepted responsibility for delaying the substitution. Barcelona still won, but if they want to compete consistently at the highest level, they cannot afford to turn commanding positions into unnecessary battles, and Flick’s admission shows the leadership is well aware of it.