Hansi Flick says “serious mistakes” are to blame for Barcelona’s 4-1 La Liga loss against Sevilla on Sunday, rather than his system.
Barcelona went 1-0 down in the 13th minute when former player Alexis Sanchez converted a penalty, which came after captain Ronald Araujo fouled Isaac Romero.
Romero then scored Sevilla’s second, before Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for the away side in first-half added time. Barcelona pushed for an equaliser and had a golden chance for one, only to see last season’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski miss the target with his penalty in the 76th minute. Sevilla then scored twice late on, through Jose Angel Carmona and Akor Adams.
“We have to focus, of course, on the first half, because we have to learn from this, but the most important thing is the reaction,” Flick said in his post-game news conference. “And this is what I have also told the team.
“Now, with this defeat and the emotion we have, it is important to maintain it and, when we start after the break, we will fight for all the titles. For the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga …
“The players will come back and we will move forward. That’s what we want. I think we are a good team. We have to be positive and work hard.
“I don’t think it’s the system or the structure. In the first half, we made serious mistakes. We could talk about many things, but I think our performance in the first half wasn’t good, and in the second half we improved. But that’s in the past. We have to learn from this match and from the PSG game. And we will.”
Sanchez scored the opening goal against his former club at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
The Sevilla game followed Wednesday’s 2-1 home loss against Paris Saint-Germain, and means Barcelona have suffered two consecutive defeats for only the second time since Hansi Flick took charge in the summer of 2024, per Opta. The other occasion came in December 2024, when Barcelona lost against Leganes and Atletico Madrid.
After his seventh goal involvement of the season (three goals and four assists), Rashford ended the match with some physical discomfort but club sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say that it is only a knock and that no tests will be necessary.
Following the international break, Barcelona face Girona and Olympiacos at home before the first Clasico of the season against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Sunday, October 26.
Barca physically and mentally shaken
As was the case with the international break in September, the October break comes at the perfect time for Flick’s side.
If the defeat against PSG hurt, this one has left an even deeper mark. Barça did everything they could possibly do wrong against a team that is not the best in Europe, as is the case with Luis Enrique’s side.
Without Lamine Yamal, they lack that player who can change a game. The game did not flow, neither in defence, nor in creation, nor in attack. The first half was disastrous.
Flick was pleased with the team’s reaction, but it was not enough. Sevilla, whose coach Matias Almeyda had convinced them throughout the week that they could beat Barca, believed it and easily got into Szczesny’s penalty area. They knew how to hurt a team that is physically and mentally shaken going into the break.
(Photos: Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
