Mansion Sports – Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has decided that a rest period is the best solution for his team after suffering a mentally damaging defeat to Girona on Monday night.

After previously being beaten 4-0 by Atletico Madrid, many had anticipated a positive response from the team. However, the defeat to Girona instead demonstrated a lack of reaction and solutions on the pitch.

Significant disappointment also emerged from the Camp Nou camp regarding Girona’s winning goal, when Jules Kounde appeared to be fouled by Claudio Echeverri in the build-up to the goal. Flick attempted to avoid an extended discussion about the incident.

“I do not want to talk about it; everyone saw what happened on the second goal. You all saw the incident. Was it a foul or not, in your opinion? [Yes] Thank you very much, there is no need to say more than that.”

“We played very poorly in the second half. Our defense was weak. There are no excuses, but they were at the same level as us, so perhaps that was not a good level.”

“We Must Be Hungrier to Win Matches”

Barcelona were unable to apply their usual pressure against their fellow Catalan rivals, as evidenced by Girona’s frequent breakthroughs of their defensive line.

“This team is tired, not in fresh condition, but we must be hungrier to win matches. We need better control and to reduce mistakes.”

“There are no excuses. We did not carry out our duties properly and we must improve. The result is what it is. We must play better. We had many opportunities in the first half. Girona had opportunities in the second half. In transitions and especially in defense, we did not perform well.”

More specifically, Flick also directed criticism at his team’s midfield after the match.

“Our positioning was not good, especially in midfield. We made too many mistakes. We must return to the right path and start playing well again. At this moment, we are not doing things correctly.”

Flick Relies on Mental Refreshment

Flick began seeking ways to halt the negative trend and decided that rest was the best step for his players, considering that they still have most of the week to prepare for facing Levante in La Liga.

“I gave them two days off. The aim is to achieve mental refreshment and recharge energy before the next match. We are all disappointed. However, we will fight. This is the time to rise. We will return on Thursday with a different mindset and train better.”

Fitness Condition of Pedri and Marcus Rashford

The German coach also indicated that Barcelona could receive additional reinforcement with the return of Pedri and Marcus Rashford, who have missed several recent matches due to injury.

“I hope to have more players back next week. With Pedri, with Rashford… we will see how it is with Gavi. We are in a new situation and must return to our best performance.”