Hansi Flick was not impressed with his Barcelona players over the weekend, although the German coach was sympathetic towards Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford.
After joining Barcelona on loan in the summer, Marcus Rashford made his debut in a 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca at the weekend.
The Manchester United loanee left Old Trafford earlier this summer on a temporary deal, but Barcelona have the option to make it permanent at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Rashford fell out of favour shortly after Ruben Amorim became United’s head coach, and there’s a chance he will never play for the club again.
The United academy graduate will aim to impress at Barcelona to secure a permanent move.
Marcus Rashford sitting on the bench for Barcelona
Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images
Hansi Flick defends Marcus Rashford after slating Barcelona players
Expectations are high at Barcelona after winning the La Liga title last season.
Despite beating RCD Mallorca 3-0 in the La Liga opener, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticised his players’ performance.
The German coach slated the mentality of his players and demanded an improvement in the coming weeks.
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Rashford was given 20 minutes after coming off the bench in his first competitive performance.
“I didn’t like the game,” Flick told reporters, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News. “They’re three important points, but I didn’t like it. After a 2-0 deficit and two red cards,” he said.
“I think the team played at 50 per cent, and I didn’t like it. We can do better
“I don’t like them to let their guard down. We had to control the ball and the game. We have to score.
“Playing at 50 or 60 per cent against nine men isn’t possible. We have to play faster. We have to improve some situations.”
Flick sympathised with Rashford in his post-match assessment and suggested that it’s up to his teammates to perform better.
He added: “It wasn’t a good part for Rashford, because there was no space. The players played at 50 per cent.
“And Joan (Garcia) had a great game. He can continue like this.”
When is Rashford next in action?
Rashford will be hoping to get off the mark in a Barcelona shirt sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, the pressure will build even though Flick is already making excuses for the forward, who has struggled to reach previous performance levels for over two seasons.
The next fixture for Barcelona will see the La Liga champions travel to Levante, aiming to maintain their position at the top of the league.
That is when Rashford is expected to make his second competitive appearance in La Liga.