Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has accepted Paris Saint-Germain’s superiority after the 4-2 defeat in the league phase match of the Champions League. The German coach sees this defeat as an opportunity to learn lessons and correct mistakes before the big clash with Real Madrid.
Barcelona failed to match the pace and quality of the French champions, who won 4-2. After the match, Flick did not seek excuses, but admitted the opponent was better, stressing that his team must analyze its mistakes and respond in the challenges ahead.
“It was a great match from both teams, but Paris Saint-Germain showed they were better than us. We lost, but we learned. Mistakes happen, and what we have shown over the last few weeks has been very good. Today’s match was not easy, as the players ran a lot and tried to play their own football,” the German coach said.
Flick also admitted the team was not prepared in the best physical way after the previous match, but stressed that this cannot be used as an excuse.
“Recovery after the last match was not the best, but that is not an excuse. We must learn from what happened. It is October and titles are not decided in this month. The Champions League is decided in June,” he declared, underlining that Barcelona’s journey in Europe is still long.
One of the aspects that worried the Catalan coach was the team’s collapse in the final minutes, when PSG exploited their quality and speed in attacking transitions.
“Paris Saint-Germain have exceptional quality in attacking transitions. We tried to defend, but in the last 15 minutes we were not at our best physical level. That is not an excuse. We must review what happened after the last match, analyze the situation and prepare better for the future,” Flick said.
Barcelona faces an important test against Real Madrid, where it will seek to show it is able to respond after the European defeat.