Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has urged his players to sharpen up defensively after their late collapse handed Paris Saint-Germain a dramatic 2-1 win in Wednesday’s Champions League group stage clash.
The Catalan side were undone in the 90th minute at the Olympic Stadium when Achraf Hakimi burst through their high line and set up Gonçalo Ramos for the decisive strike.
Flick admitted his men were second best on the night against the reigning European champions.
Barcelona’s defensive frailties were once again highlighted, a recurring issue that cost them dearly last season when Inter Milan eliminated them in the semi-finals, conceding seven goals across two legs.
“With (the score at) 1-1 you have to defend better, have a better structure in the defence,” Flick told reporters. “We will learn this and we have to make it better next time against this quality of team.”
The German tactician conceded that PSG’s victory was deserved, noting that his players struggled to find their rhythm and fell short of the champions’ standard.
“There is no point in saying we are on the same level (but) I believe in my team, today wasn’t our best day,” Flick continued. “We train to get better and better and this game today (will) help us a lot, also for the future. The whole team has to defend, the whole team has to attack…
“The philosophy that they (PSG) have, is fantastic. They have young players, they had high quality and speed on the ball, very, very good.”
Despite the defeat, Flick expressed confidence that Barcelona could eventually match Luis Enrique’s side once they reach their peak.
“We could see today how the level of PSG is, I’m 100 percent sure we can play like this,” he added.
