Right after suffering their first defeat of the 2026-27 season in the UEFA Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona also saw their winning run in La Liga come to an end as [they were defeated 1-2 by their bitter rivals, Real Madrid](https://barcanewsnetwork.com/cubarsi-8-0-yamal-5-5-fc-barcelona-1-2-real-madrid-player-ratings/), at the Spotify Camp Nou in the first El Clasico of the season.
The Blaugranes were the favorites to win this game, both with the form they had shown early in this season and with their recent dominance in El Clasicos. Furthermore, they were also playing at home. However, they were still unable to get the job done and Hansi Flick will have significant work to do to eliminate the weaknesses shown by his team in this match.
As [MARCA](https://www.marca.com/futbol/barcelona/2026/10/25/flick-dos-derrotas-son-demasiadas-mi-cules-clasico-generaran-dudas.html) has reported, the German coach faced the press after the game and analyzed his team’s defeat in this important game. The Barcelona tactician expressed his disappointment with the two consecutive losses:
**“We have suffered two defeats and we’re not happy. We’re disappointed. The first half wasn’t good, but we improved in the second half after making it 1-1. We’ve lacked freshness. It’s our first defeat in La Liga. We’d won nine games in a row, and this happens. Defeats are part of this sport. We have to analyse things and improve, and that’s what we’ll do. It’s important to react.”**
While praising Real Madrid, Flick also highlighted the team’s struggles with fatigue:
**“I’d say it’s clear that we’ve played against a very high-quality opponent who did a very good job without the ball. We’ve lacked freshness. These past few weeks, since the match against Betis… it hasn’t been easy. We need to rest and respond to the defeat. And we will. When you lose, it doesn’t mean everything is going wrong. There’s still a long way to go, and these things happen. This has to make us reflect and improve.”**
The German coach believed luck was also not on his team’s side:
**“I don’t think this defeat will create doubts within the team. Everyone knows the situation. We didn’t play particularly well today, but big matches are decided by the details. That’s what tips the balance, and today luck wasn’t on our side.”**
Meanwhile, the Barcelona coach was also clear that his team needs to improve going forward:
**“We have to improve. After these defeats, there are no excuses that hold up. But I know what we need to improve. I’m not worried because this is part of the game and the sport. Two defeats are too many, for me and for all Barça fans. Especially in El Clásico. We don’t want to lose.”**
Flick went on to highlight how the delayed return after the game against Real Betis impacted his team and commented on what he wants his players to do in the upcoming few days:
**“You only see the matches, but spending three hours on a plane in Seville, returning to the hotel… then travelling to Paris… it’s a lot. But I don’t want to talk about this when we lose; it’s better to talk about it when we win. And I don’t accept excuses. I’m telling the truth: we weren’t fresh today, and we need to change that.**
**The players will have two days off after training tomorrow. Some will go to the event in London. I want everyone to be fresh and make the right decisions regarding nutrition, sleep and recovery. We have three matches before the international break. I want to win every game and every title.”**
The German tactician also highlighted how the absence of several important players in defense handicapped his team:
**“That’s the most important aspect. Injuries are things that happen, whether muscular injuries or knocks, as in the cases of Eric, Jules and Dani… We have to manage the situation. We’ve run out of options in the back four, and we have to manage that. We have players at La Masia, so perhaps we’ll have to call them up. Perhaps Andreas, Jules and Eric will be available next week… we’ll see how they progress.”**
The Barcelona coach commented on Frenkie de Jong’s return:
**“We’ve discussed it, and in the end we decided that Frenkie, who was in good rhythm, could give us strength, which is why he played in the number 10 role. It was important for him to get minutes today.”**
Hansi Flick would naturally be quite disappointed to see his Barcelona team lose two games after such a promising start to the season. Hopefully, he will take these losses only as learning lessons and will be able to eliminate the team’s issues in the weeks to come.