Hansi Flick talks first half performance, international break and injuries after Sevilla 4-1 Barcelona – “We’ll be back” | OneFootball

Hansi Flick wasn’t all too happy but surprisingly looked more mellow than usual as Barcelona suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla.

It was a disastrous evening for the Blaugrana, who were dealing with the absences of key players, including Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Gavi, and Fermin Lopez, among others.

The attack lacked any real impetus, while the defence struggled to maintain the intensity of the Sevilla attacks, further exacerbated by an early penalty conceded by Ronald Araujo, who went all out at the referees after VAR overturned a call.

What Flick said after the Sevilla game

Speaking to the media after the game (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Flick admitted it wasn’t the best of performances from Barcelona.

“Football is about goals. If you score, you win, and today we weren’t able to score. We had chances, and we weren’t able to. The result isn’t good, but heads up and off we go,” he said.

Flick went on to talk about Barcelona’s shortcomings, especially in the first half, where he pointed out Sevilla’s aggressive style of play.

“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, I want to be involved in that, and see how to analyse that,” he said.

“The first half wasn’t good. They played one-on-one, very aggressively, and we had no solutions to get the ball out. We made big mistakes. We can talk about many things, but we have to see that the first half was very bad,” he added.

Talking about the missed chances, Flick expressed his disappointment.

“We could have scored the second, and maybe the game would have changed, but that’s in the past. What we have to do is learn from this game and from Paris (the defeat to PSG). And we will,” he said.

Hansi Flick is hopeful Barcelona can bounce back in upcoming matches. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The German tactician, though, admitted that his team performed much better in the second half.

“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. The most important thing is the direction we’re taking, the system and the structure,” he said.

“We have to accept that we lost and look ahead. We work for the club, for the fans. They came here and of course they’re disappointed. We have to keep the energy up until the end,” he added.

However, the Barcelona refused to consider this his worst defeat as the coach of this team.

“The most painful one, the one in Milan. I have to accept this defeat, but I’m positive. We have to change. Especially in the first half, we made a lot of mistakes and couldn’t control the game,” he said.

Looking ahead, Flick talked about how Barcelona will be boosted by the return of key players after the international break.

“After the international break, we will have important players back; it’s important that everyone returns to their best,” he said.

And finally, talking about the international break itself, Flick admitted it is a good time for Barcelona to have a breather.

“Right now it’s good to have a break, and it can also be good for the players to go out with their national teams and find a different atmosphere.

“What I’ve told the players is that when we come back, we’ll try and work hard to get back to our level. But we need the players to be at their best,” he concluded.