Barcelona manager Hansi Flick furious with squad after Borussia Dortmund defeat

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick cut his usual calm figure in his post-match press conference on Tuesday night in Germany, after his side made their way back to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in six years. Behind closed doors however, Flick was not at all happy with their first defeat of 2025 against Borussia Dortmund, ending their unbeaten run.

Publicly, Flick noted that he had to remind the side of their achievement, and pick up the side’s morale following their loss. There was no shortage of long faces on the pitch after the game, with Lamine Yamal looking unhappy on the bench, Raphinha on the ground in exhaustion, and Robert Lewandowski cutting a demure figure.

However MD say that Flick’s positive outlook in the press room did not extend to the the dressing room. They say that Flick was highly annoyed by his team at the Signal Iduna Park, feeling they did not follow his instructions, nor did they put in the required level of focus and intensity. Before the game he had tried to communicate as much, telling his team to forget about the first leg, and go out to win the game.

Something he did not see on the pitch – a match plagued with mistakes, and without the necessary level of play. Flick also perceived it as insult on top of injury, losing in his home country and to his former boss in Niko Kovac. The Catalan daily say that Flick will use the Dortmund game over the next week to motivate and focus his players, as he tries to inspire two victories against Celta Vigo and RCD Mallorca. Playing before Real Madrid, it is a chance to apply pressure on their matches ahead of the Copa del Rey final.

It is certainly true that the players seemed more than conscious of their disappointing showing. Beyond the long faces, Jules Kounde, Frenkie de Jong and Lewandowski all criticised their showing publicly, with the latter calling it a lesson. The Blaugrana are engaged in a tricky balancing act between fatigue and their usual form this season though, which has become increasingly evident.