'Disappointed' Flick not blaming officials for Barca's defeat at Sociedad

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick insisted that he would not get caught up in blaming referee Jesus Manzano for his side's 2-1 defeat away to Real Sociedad on Sunday. 

Flick's team were dealt just their third LaLiga loss of the season at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta, with Goncalo Guedes scoring the winning goal in the 71st minute. 

Mikel Oyarzabal had opened the scoring in the first half before Marcus Rashford's 70th-minute leveller, but Sociedad sealed the win just 60 seconds after being pegged back. 

Barcelona registered an expected goals (xG) total of 3.68 from their 25 shots, nine of which were on target, compared to their opponents 1.01 from their six attempts. 

But the Blaugrana's frustration in the match boiled over at full-time, with Frenkie de Jong, who saw a goal ruled out for offside, criticising the match officials for their display. 

Flick's side had three goals chalked off in the match, the other two from Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal following VAR reviews, while they also struck the woodwork five times. 

"I'm disappointed. We played a fantastic game. We created many chances, but in the end the result doesn't reflect what happened on the pitch," Flick said. 

"In the end, there are days when you do everything right and you have bad luck.

"We had situations where maybe we should have defended better, but in the end, this is football, and I'm very satisfied with what we did today.

"I'm not a player, and I'm not on the field. What Frenkie said is fine. I agree with him. I don't want to waste any more time on the referee."

Indeed, Barcelona became the second team in Europe's top five Leagues to hit the woodwork five times in a single game and still lose after Brighton against Manchester United in September 2020 (since 2006-07).

Eric Garcia echoed the sentiments of Flick, suggesting that his team-mates needed to be more ruthless in the final third to get the job done. 

"A match you should win easily and comfortably ends up losing, but that's football. We just have to keep going. The team played well, and we dominated," Garcia added. 

"It's true that in the second half there was a moment when they pressed harder, but overall we were good. We had many chances.

"But we only conceded two crosses into the box, and that's something we need to improve both offensively and defensively."

It was a result that saw Barcelona miss the chance to restore their four-point lead at the top of LaLiga, with Clasico rivals Real Madrid now within striking distance. 

But the Blaugrana will now turn their attention to the Champions League, with a trip to Czechia to face Slavia Prague up next on Wednesday. 

Barcelona are 15th in the 36-team league phase table and two points adrift of finishing in the top eight, which would automatically qualify them for the last 16. 

"It's something we need to improve for Wednesday's Champions League match against Slavia Prague," Garcia added.

"You score the equaliser, and then, on the very next play, they score to make it 2-1. It was a tough blow. 

"We tried until the end, we had another shot off the post from Kounde, and there's not much else to say, really."