A 4-2 scoreline at the Parc des Princes ended Barcelona's perfect start to the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League campaign on Tuesday, and manager Hansi Flick was not in the mood to sugarcoat it.
Speaking after the match, Flick gave credit where it was due. "PSG showed that they are a better team than us," he said plainly. "We lost this match, but we learned a lot from it." He pointed to fatigue as a real factor, noting the "unbelievable" physical effort his squad had put in over the previous weeks, while making clear that he was not offering it as an excuse.
Flick identified PSG's sharp counter-attacks and Barcelona's dip in energy late in the game as the two things that hurt his side most. His message to the players was direct: study the mistakes, fix them, and move forward without lingering on the pain of defeat.
There was still a bright spot on the night. Young defender Xavi Espart scored his first-ever Champions League goal and put in a display Flick described as fantastic. In a heavy loss, that kind of debut moment is exactly the kind of story a coach holds onto.
Now, all eyes shift to El Clásico against Real Madrid. Barcelona walking into that fixture on the back of their first loss of the season makes for a very interesting question: how does this team respond when the pressure is highest?
Originally published by NotJustOk.