Hansi Flick cut a frustrated but composed figure after Barcelona’s narrow defeat away at Real Sociedad, insisting his side did more than enough to claim all three points.
The German coach felt the scoreline failed to tell the true story of the contest. Barcelona dominated long spells, carved out a stream of chances and were denied repeatedly by fine margins.
On a night defined by near-misses, the woodwork was struck four times, while two Barca goals were ruled out, summing up a game where fortune refused to swing their way.
“I’m disappointed because we played a very good match,” Flick said in his immediate reaction after full-time.
“The result doesn’t reflect our performance.”
Still, the Barcelona boss admitted there were moments to improve, particularly in defensive concentration at key stages.
“We have to defend better, especially after conceding the second goal immediately after scoring the equaliser.
“Played good football because there are days when you put in a lot of energy and in the end you don’t have any luck … We deserved to win, but that’s football.”
Attention quickly turned to officiating decisions, but Flick was keen to draw a line under the debate and keep his squad focused on what lies ahead.
“I don’t want to waste energy on the referee. Everyone has seen his performance and we have to accept it.
“We have to keep going in this direction. We mustn’t waste energy on things like referees. We need to focus on everything we can control … Now, on Wednesday, it’s time to win in Prague.”
As Barcelona regroup, the message from the dugout is clear. The performance level is there, the belief remains strong, and the response must now come in the next fixture as the Blaugrana look to turn dominance into results.
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