Hansi Flick After El Clasico Defeat: "We Lacked Freshness, I'm Not Satisfied"

A 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico extended a nightmare week for Barcelona, coming just days after the Catalans suffered a 4-2 loss away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Following the match, Hansi Flick sought to explain his side's recent slump.

"I'm not happy. It was clear today that we weren't at 100 percent physically. In the second half, we were well-positioned, controlled the game, and equalized at 1-1, with Real having only two chances to find a second goal. In the closing minutes, we decided to press, but they broke away on a fast counterattack and scored. It's a tough blow for us, but we have to accept it—defeats are part of football," Flick told the media after the final whistle at Camp Nou.

The head coach pointed out that this was his team's first league defeat of the campaign after ten rounds of fixtures.

"Right now we're not at our best, and that comes down to a lack of freshness. The players need a breather after such an intense week. We have enough time before the next match to recharge our batteries and regain our energy," Flick said.

The German tactician once again highlighted fatigue against a physically powerful opponent like Real Madrid. While he rued missed chances to complete the turnaround at 1-1, he took encouragement from the return of De Jong, who played his first minutes of the season.

"We know that the past week was far from ideal—we lost in Paris and suffered our first defeat of the league season, but we are still top of the table," Flick noted.