Flick gives Barcelona squad a dose of reality following dropped points at Celta

Barcelona saw two points dissolve in the rain in Galicia on Saturday night as Celta Vigo took just five minutes to come from two goals down, following Marc Casado’s sending off. A result that has seen their La Liga lead shrink dramatically, coming off a defeat to Real Sociedad too. Hansi Flick has taken action.

The German manager told his squad in no uncertain terms that what he was seeing from his side was not good enough, and has demanded that the Barcelona squad increase the intensity of their play, especially when it comes to pressing the ball and recovering after losing the ball. Sport say that Flick has made it abundantly clear to his players that they need to be better with a more serious tone.

Both Casado and Jules Kounde apologised publicly after the Celta draw, the former for his red card, and the latter for his error in the first Celta goal. Flick’s message has been clear though – ‘We win as a team, and we lose as one’. As he noted in his press conference after the game, Flick told his players that they were bad from the first minute to the last, not just when they threw away the points.

The squad have responded already, with calls for more concentration, and the players believe they know what needs to change. Their setup cannot be effective without more focus, and have held their hands up for the result in Vigo.

Of course the evidence of this will be on Tuesday night, when Barcelona host Brest in the Champions League at Montjuic. The French side have been the surprise package in Europe this season, taking 10 points from 12 so far, and are currently sat in fourth, a point ahead of Barcelona. A resounding response would calm the nerves in Catalonia, but an adverse one would send ripples through Can Barca.