Barcelona coach Hansi Flick has expressed unwavering confidence in his team despite a 2-1 defeat to Monaco in their Champions League opener on Thursday. The loss was attributed to an early red card issued to Barcelona defender Eric Garcia just 11 minutes into the match, giving Monaco a significant advantage. Goals from Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena secured the victory for the French side.
Despite the setback, Flick, who has led Barcelona to a five-match winning streak in La Liga, remained positive. He highlighted the team’s efforts to defend as a unit and mount attacks despite the numerical disadvantage. “With (Garcia’s) red card the game changed totally but I can see the positives. We tried to defend as a team and attack as a team. We had chances but they deserved to win,” Flick told reporters.
Flick emphasized the importance of moving forward and focusing on their upcoming La Liga match against Villarreal on Sunday. “I have told the team to lift their heads up because they are disappointed, but we have to focus on Sunday (La Liga match at Villarreal), which is our next game. It’s the time to recover, hopefully players will be back with a lot of energy. “We have players that gave more than 100 percent, every player tried to give their best in this situation. I’m really proud of this team but we have to accept how we lost today.”
The defeat evokes memories of last season’s Champions League quarter-final exit, where a red card to Ronald Araujo against Paris St Germain proved costly. However, Flick is quick to dismiss any suggestion of a struggle for Barcelona in Europe’s premier club competition. He remains optimistic about their chances in the tournament, having last won it in 2015.
“Today you see this situation with a red card after 11 minutes, it changed our match plan, we have to accept it, this happens,” the former Bayern Munich manager said. “But we are strong enough to play a good Champions League, we have seven matches ahead and I think we will win many matches.”
Barcelona will next host Young Boys in their second Champions League group stage fixture.
