Hansi Flick tried to draw positive conclusions from Barcelona’s 4-2 defeat to PSG, in a match in which the Catalan side struggled against the attacking firepower of Luis Enrique’s team. The German coach acknowledged his team’s mistakes, pointed to physical fatigue as one of the factors affecting their performance, and praised Xavi Espart’s display.
“It was a great test for us, and today we saw the areas in which we need to improve. I also saw some good things,” he summed up at the press conference.
The Barcelona coach made no attempt to hide the difficulties his team faced, particularly in the closing stages, but rejected an entirely negative assessment of the match.
“I think it was a fantastic game between two teams. We made mistakes and gave the ball away, and we need to analyse those,” Flick explained. He also acknowledged that “PSG have shown that they were better than us. We lost, but we learned a lot from this match.”
One of the reasons Flick gave for Barcelona’s struggles was the fatigue accumulated over recent weeks. He highlighted the effort his players had put in and noted that preparations following the match against Sevilla had not been ideal. Due to the weather conditions, the team arrived a day later than planned.
“We have to understand that you make mistakes because you’re not fresh. We weren’t fresh,” he said. Nevertheless, the German coach was keen to recognise his players’ attitude.
“The last few weeks have been incredible, and I appreciate my players’ mentality and attitude. Today, you could see it,” he added.
Flick explained that Barcelona pressed well at certain moments but were unable to maintain that level throughout the match.
“There were some fantastic things, but what happened after Sevilla happened, and we didn’t get the recovery time we needed. But that’s not an excuse; it’s about understanding why we weren’t at our top level today,” he said.
Despite the defeat, the coach made it clear that he did not want to dramatise the result, reminding everyone that there was still a long season ahead.
“You don’t win titles in October. The Champions League is decided in June,” he declared.
Barcelona’s defensive performance was also a major focus of the press conference. PSG created numerous chances and ultimately punished Barcelona’s mistakes, with the Catalan side conceding four goals and struggling to contain the Parisian team’s transitions.
Flick acknowledged that his team needed to review its defensive performance, particularly towards the end of the match.
“I think that in the final minutes, after it became 3-2, the team dropped off a little,” he admitted.
However, the German coach insisted that the analysis should take both the negative and positive aspects into account.
“We have to analyse the match, but I saw some very good things and things we need to build on. I don’t want to be negative; I’m positive. It was a good experience, and we need to analyse what we can improve,” he said.
The coach also singled out Joan Garcia for praise after the goalkeeper kept Barcelona in the game with several saves under sustained pressure from PSG.
“PSG had a lot of chances, and Joan was fantastic,” Flick stated.
In attack, Flick felt Barcelona had also created enough opportunities to achieve a different result.
“I think we had a lot of chances as well, and normally we would have scored those goals,” he explained.
To improve, he called for greater composure and better coordination between the lines.
“We have to play calmly, be better positioned and stay well connected. We need to make sure there isn’t so much distance between us and be clearer about what we want to do,” he said.
One of the standout names of the night was Xavi Espart. The young academy graduate delivered an impressive performance at right-back and scored the goal that temporarily brought Barcelona level.
Flick praised his display without reservation and highlighted the progress he had made since last season.
“Xavi Espart is playing at an incredible level. I think I was surprised by his level last year, then came the Under-19 European Championship, and after that he joined us directly. Since then, he has been playing at a high level,” the coach said.
Flick also highlighted Espart’s defensive contribution, particularly given the quality of the opposition.
“It wasn’t easy for Xavi Espart to defend today, and he played at an enormous level. We have to focus on the positives, and there were positive things. Playing like that at right-back wasn’t easy,” he added.
Another concern was Dani Olmo, who had to leave the pitch during the first half after taking a knock. Flick explained that he did not yet know the extent of the injury and said they would have to wait before assessing his condition.
“Olmo is very disappointed. We don’t know what his injury is yet; we have to wait and see,” he said.
Flick also explained his decision to include Marc Bernal in the starting line-up instead of Rodri, whom he chose to rest after the midfielder had accumulated significant playing time in recent matches.
“I spoke to him this morning to tell Rodri that Bernal would play. We’re aware of Rodri’s physical fatigue and the number of minutes he has accumulated,” the coach explained, adding that he was pleased with the midfielder’s performance.