Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick acknowledged the team’s struggle in the Catalan derby against Espanyol on Sunday, despite the fact that his team’s first half performance was enough to earn a 3-1 win.
Dani Olmo scored twice, with Raphinha adding another, as the league leaders extended the gap at the top to nine points. But in Flick’s eyes, there is still room for improvement after some errors he spotted in the team’s play.
“A derby is always complicated. In the first half, we showed a good level, but in general, we didn’t play as we usually do. We lost too many balls and were penalized in the second half,” Flick stated after the match.
That said, the Barcelona boss praised the players’ focus, particularly the younger members, revealing that “the important thing is the victory and I would highlight the concentration of all the players, some of them very young.”
Flick also pointed to issues with their defensive approach after halftime, saying, “In the second half, we lacked pressure on the one who had the ball, and we had some problems because of that.”
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