‘That’s our problem’… Hansi Flick identifies his team’s main issue as Barcelona stumble to Las Palmas in 1-2 upset | OneFootball

It was another sorry evening for FC Barcelona as the Blaugranes were unable to return to winning ways in La Liga. This time, the Catalans fell to a 2-1 defeat to Las Palmas, and this defeat was particularly bitter as this was the first time they have tasted defeat at their home ground this season.

With this loss, Barcelona have taken only 1 point from a possible 9 in the last three league games, and it is clear that the team needs to shake things up if they are to compete for the La Liga title. As things, stand, the Catalans are only 4 points ahead of Real Madrid, and the Merengues still have two games in hand.

Naturally, Hansi Flick was disappointed with this result, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, he expressed this disappointment as he spoke to the press after the game.

The German tactician rued his team’s inability to get a goal despite creating chances: “Today wasn’t our day. In the second half, we created more chances, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Flick highlighted some of the main problems faced by his team in this game: “I think when we control games, when we have situations like that, we’re able to play well and create chances. But when we don’t, that’s our problem…”

“We need to change; we need to defend better. If you don’t score, it’s also harder to keep a clean sheet. But it’s not just about the defenders—it’s about the whole team. We need to regroup and reconnect.”

The Barcelona coach was clear that this defeat was not because of any individual absence: “I don’t want to talk about any individual player; I believe we could have played better as a team, and that’s what should concern us.”

Taking note of the positives, Flick was happy with the return of Lamine Yamal, who had missed the last three games due to an injury:

“After two weeks without training with the team, it’s good that he’s back and able to get some minutes. We should focus on these positives: he’s returned, played, and will be ready to start against Mallorca.”

Despite the defeat, the German trainer wanted his team to go into the next month with a positive attitude:

“We have to stay positive. Today November ends, and December begins, so we must maintain a positive outlook. The issue is that we haven’t been clinical in front of the goal. We’re the leaders, and rivals aim to beat us, but we need to improve.”

The Barcelona coach was also clear that his team will have to put in a significantly better performance against Mallorca:

“It’s not easy for them; they are young players, and I believe they can recover well and quickly. In Mallorca, we need to play better than we did today.”

Flick showed his confidence in the team but did not put up any excuses for the poor result today: “I trust the players and have confidence in them, but the reality is what it is. Matches like today can happen; I already said excuses wouldn’t count.”

“It’s normal for some players returning from injury not to be at their best. However, when we play as a team, we can compete and beat anyone. If we don’t, and some players are disconnected, we won’t succeed.”

Further talking about the team’s problems, the Barcelona coach was sure that lack of confidence was not a factor that led to this defeat:

“No, I don’t think it’s a lack of confidence due to youth. I believe the players trust their playing style. It’s not about individual efforts; no one wins alone. It’s always about the team. We need strong connections both in defense and attack, which we lacked today.”

“They train well and usually perform in matches, but when you create chances and fail to score, this happens. We need to play as a unit and capitalize on opportunities.”

Lastly, the German trainer also hinted at a possible injury for one of his starters: “The quality Dani brings to our game is very valuable. He had some minor discomforts, and we didn’t want to take any risks because we need him.”

It is clear that Flick will have to do a lot of work to get his team back to winning ways. Yamal’s return can prove to be key in this regard, but it remains to be seen how the team will perform in another difficult match against Mallorca.