Barcelona were beaten 4-0 by Atlético Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. After the match, Barça head coach Hans-Dieter Flick attended the press conference.
Q: Leaving the result aside for a moment, can you explain what happened on the pitch? How worried are you?
A: We did not play well in the first half, especially in terms of collective cohesion. We are usually very compact as a team, but today the distance between players was far too big. We did not press as we intended, and we learned a harsh lesson in the first 45 minutes. Sometimes it is good to learn a lesson at the right time – perhaps today is that moment.
The second half was much better. We still have one more match to play, and we will fight with everything we have. A tie is played over two legs, and we are capable of winning both halves; that is our aim. We will work for it, and we need the support of our fans at home – let us see.
Q: You said the team learned a lesson. Are you disappointed with the players? You have stressed many times that they must focus from the start and not just rely on talent to chase games.
A: It would be unfair if I said I was disappointed in the team. I am extremely proud of my side – perhaps not for the first 45 minutes today, but for the entire season.
You know how many injuries we have suffered, how many players are unavailable. We have had to adapt and deal with everything all season long.
Losing is part of football. Today was a heavy defeat, but I remain proud, and we will come back stronger.
We must take this lesson and improve – especially from the very first minute. Atlético had more desire to win, more desire to score, and that is what I want from my team right from the start. We did not show that in the first half.
Q: What do you make of the referee and the disallowed goal?
A: What can I say… The first challenge on Balde should have been a yellow card. If that card had been shown, everything would have been different. But it was not given, and the referee allowed them to play that way. There was another incident that deserved a yellow card later on – the game would have been completely different. To be honest, the whole situation was a mess.
Then there was the long VAR check after Cubarsí’s goal, seven minutes of waiting… Come on. It was clear – no offside. I have no idea what they spent seven minutes looking at. If they saw something, they should have said so, but there was no communication at all.
Q: Is this your worst day at Barcelona?
A: No, the worst was losing to Inter Milan last season. This time we still have a chance to turn it around in the second leg. It will not be easy, but we will fight for it.
Q: Why did you substitute Casadó in the 37th minute?
A: We needed to make the change. He was already on a booking, and there were a lot of physical challenges in the game. One more foul and he could have been sent off, so we had to take him off.
