FC Barcelona were hoping to solidify their place at the top of the 2024-25 La Liga standings following their 125th anniversary celebrations. However, a 1-2 defeat at home to UD Las Palmas left them reeling. After the match, coach Hansi Flick delivered a candid assessment, criticizing the team’s lack of cohesion and calling out certain players for being “disconnected.”
The match, which took place on Matchday 15 at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium, appeared to be a straightforward fixture for the Cules. Yet, a combination of poor finishing, missed opportunities, and defensive lapses led to an unexpected setback in the league. Flick was asked whether there were signs of a crisis in team morale, and his response was both blunt and revealing.
“I believe in the players, we have a good team, but it is what it it. Matches like this happen. When you play as a team, where everyone defend well, and everyone in the offense is included, I think we can play and win againts any team. But if it’s not, if there are some players disconnected, it’s not good, and we have to speak about that,” said the coach in the press conference.
Barcelona dominated possession, holding 70% of the ball, and fired 27 shots at goal. However, their lack of accuracy and finishing cost them dearly, as Las Palmas made the most of their chances, scoring twice to take all three points. Despite the defeat, Flick refused to offer excuses but did point to a series of unfortunate situations in recent matches:
“There is always a reason. In San Sebastián, we scored first, but it was ruled out. Today, I still have no explanation. In Vigo, we were 2-0 up, but we had a player sent off and conceded two goals after making many mistakes. But we should have won. Every match is completely different. If we work as a team, we can beat anyone.”
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Flick aims for quick turnaround
Barcelona’s defeat to relegation-threatened Las Palmas marked one of the most significant setbacks of Flick’s tenure at the club. The loss to a team sitting 18th in the table, which saw Las Palmas rise to 14th, left the German coach with a tough task to rally his squad. Despite the blow, Flick stressed the importance of bouncing back quickly as Barcelona face a crucial run of matches.
“I believe that when we control the games, we are able to play well and create chances, and we didn’t have any problems. Now, we don’t create as much nor score as many goals. We need to defend better. If you don’t score, it’s obviously more difficult to keep a clean sheet. It’s not just the defense, it’s the whole team. We need to reconnect. We have tough matches ahead in La Liga and Dortmund,” Flick said to Movistar.
What’s next for Barcelona?
With just one point from their last three La Liga matches—two losses and a draw—Barcelona have lost the significant advantage they once held over Real Madrid following their El Clasico victory. Now, with a challenging schedule ahead, Barcelona must regroup. As Flick highlighted, the team will face three consecutive away fixtures, starting with a trip to Mallorca (5th). This will be followed by matches against Real Betis (9th) next week, and Borussia Dortmund (4th), who sit just below Barcelona in the Champions League group stage.
