Flick has a crucial conversation with Barcelona players after Rayo Vallecano draw – report | OneFootball

FC Barcelona dropped their first points of the 2025/26 season when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano on Sunday night.

Things could have been much worse for the reigning La Liga champions if not for Joan Garcia, who was near-unbreachable between the goalposts and made a string of crucial stops to help his team return with a point.

Naturally, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was far from pleased with what he saw from his players at Estadio de Vallecas.

Hansi Flick has a chat with Barcelona players after the game

As such, Mundo Deportivo reports that Flick had a serious conversation with the Barcelona players at Estadio de Vallecas right after the match.

The coach wanted to underline the mistakes that his team made at the end of the match because he will lose 14 international players for 10 days.

The Barça coach did not want to wait until the players return in ten days’ time, just before the La Liga match against Valencia on 14 September, and opted instead to deliver a corrective talk.

Flick’s Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw on Sunday. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

It was more technical and instructive than filled with reproaches. The situation in Vallecas, with all its setbacks and a pitch that was not in good condition, lent itself to focusing more on technical aspects.

Flick stressed the intensity of play, the lack of clarity when building out from the back, the defensive errors that allowed Rayo chances, and the unexpected inability to create goal-scoring opportunities.

It did not feel as though he was blaming them for issues of attitude or behaviour, but rather it was a matter of fitting the lines together. There was no telling-off, but his speech simply sought to highlight the errors.

Barcelona will be without 14 players during the international break, with a majority of them involved in qualifying fixtures for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Once the break is over, the champions take on Valencia in their first home game of the season, most likely at Estadi Johan Cruyff, with a return to Camp Nou looking unlikely.