Coach was unimpressed by his team’s performance, but not every member of the squad considers it to be a huge deal
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick reacted angrily to his side’s 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano by locking his players in the dressing room for a post-match meeting.
The Spanish champions, who had opened the campaign with wins over Mallorca and Levante, dropped points for the first time last weekend. Goalkeeper Joan Garcia was their standout performer in Madrid and the key reason why the visitors escaped with a point.
Flick is understood to have addressed his squad immediately after the final whistle, admonishing them about collective discipline and commitment. His message was about “ego”, which he had also stressed in his post-match conference.
“The most important thing is that, when the transfer window is closed, everyone who stays is 100 per cent committed to this club,” Flick told reporters after the game.
“No egos, because egos kill success. Last season, we played as one unit. We have to be like this again now.”
Barcelona’s season has not been poor in terms of results, having won two and drawn one of their three games. But Flick has been unimpressed with performances across all three fixtures, believing his side have lacked intensity and cohesion.
The timing of his intervention, just before the international break, is thought to be deliberate. With no immediate fixtures, the German coach wanted his words to resonate during the two-week pause.
One dressing-room source told The Athletic that the break was “certainly the time” to send such a message to the players and “make them think about it deeper than they would when the team has a game every three days”.
However, not every member of the squad considers the incident to be a huge deal. Lamine Yamal notably downplayed the warning while speaking to reporters, insisting the squad remains united and focused on defending their La Liga title.
Yamal said: “After a draw, you are heated because in the end, you have to win. I don’t think it has anything to do with egos. We’ve taken seven points from nine in difficult stadiums, and we haven’t played at home yet.
“Against Rayo it wasn’t our game. We lacked intensity and made mistakes, but it can happen. We just have to recover our level as soon as possible.”
