“We played against an opponent that was better than in previous clásicos. We weren’t fresh. We have to recover, concentrate, and react,” Hansi Flick said after Barcelona lost 2-1 to Real Madrid in the first clásico of the season.
It was Barcelona’s first defeat of the campaign after nine wins in their first nine La Liga games. If they had won, they would have made history as the first side in La Liga history to win their opening 10 games.
The defeat was a jolt back to reality after a flying start that saw Barcelona put a six-point gap between them and Madrid. But there’s also a bigger cause for concern here. This was Barcelona’s second loss in the space of a week, having been beaten 4-2 by Paris Saint-Germain in midweek.
Both were tough games, granted, but Barcelona were also less sharp in both games than in previous matches played so far this season.
Flick ultimately refused to use fatigue as the excuse for Sunday’s loss to Madrid, but he did say his players need to recover their energy and respond in their remaining matches before the international break.
“There are no arguments, no excuses,” he said. “It’s clear. We need to talk. I’m not worried about it in general because, as I said before, it’s part of the sport.
“We’ve had two defeats this week and that’s too many for me, and, no doubt, for the Barca fans as well. But this is part of the sport and we have to bounce back.”
Hansi Flick’s post-match thoughts. https://t.co/0NceU1sp9O
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2026
He added: “In Seville, we spent three hours on the plane, then we stayed there to sleep. But I don’t want to talk about that now if we’ve lost.
“Perhaps I’ll do so when we win, because it might sound like an excuse. Now many players will be going to London for the Ballon d’Or Gala, and they’ll be back. We’ll rest on Tuesday and get back to work on Wednesday.”
Flick wants Barcelona to win both matches before the international break, but injuries could complicate that. Eric Garcia and Xavi Espart have picked up knocks, which could leave Barcelona seriously short in defence.
“We don’t have many more options in defence and we’ll have to manage it,” Flick said. “We may have to call up more players from La Masia. We’ll sort it out. We’re expecting Christensen and Eric back soon. And we’ll see if we have any good news.”
