'We're not in a good moment' – Flick concedes Barcelona need rest

Hansi Flick conceded that his Barcelona are not in a good place and are in need of a rest after they fell to a 2-1 defeat at Estadi Municipal de Montilivi to Girona on Monday. 

Flick watched on as Pau Cubarsi's 59th-minute opener was quickly cancelled out by Thomas Lemar, with substitute Fran Beltran scoring the winner four minutes from time. 

Barcelona had missed several chances during an end-to-end first half, with Raphinha hitting the post before Lamine Yamal also hit the woodwork from the penalty spot. 

Ronald Araujo almost levelled in second-half stoppage time, and even though Girona saw Joel Roca handed a straight red card late on, they held on for a big victory. 

Indeed, Barcelona lost a match in which they attempted at least 27 shots, including a penalty kick, for only the second time since the 2004-05 LaLiga season, following their defeat against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in Oct 2015 (28 shots, 2-1 defeat). 

The result leaves them two points behind leaders Real Madrid, and follows their 4-0 thrashing by rivals Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final. 

"We're not in a good moment, especially in defensive transitions," Flick told reporters. "Girona had many chances to win.

"They deserved the win because we weren't good. Our positioning was not good, especially in midfield.

"We made too many mistakes. We have to get back on track and play well again. 

"Right now we are at a time when we are not doing things right. The players now need these days of rest because they are tired. This is a long road and we will return."

Barcelona generated an expected goals (xG) total of 2.93 from their attempts, marginally better than Girona's tally of 2.76 from their 13 shots at Joan Garcia's net. 

However, Beltran's winning goal was subject to a VAR check, with Barcelona feeling as though Jules Kounde was fouled in the build-up by Claudio Echeverri. 

And Flick did not want to delve too deep into the decision made by the referee, adding that his team could be back to full strength for their clash with Levante on Sunday. 

"If we had played well, I could criticise the decision. But I don't want to do it to serve as an excuse," Flick added. "We have to focus on our work and improve ourselves.

"We are not showing what we are. We have to get back to the level and soon some players, like Pedri and Rashford will be back.

"Gavi can train with the team soon. When everyone is available, let's see if we can play at another level."

After Monday's defeat, Barcelona are given a 46.9% chance of retaining their LaLiga title by the Opta supercomputer, with Madrid assigned a 53.1% win probability.