Barcelona manager Hansi Flick criticised his side’s defending and lack of concentration after Atletico Madrid fought back from two goals down to rescue a last-gasp 4-4 draw in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Tuesday.
Flick said that conceding four goals should be unacceptable for a club like Barcelona and that his side must learn how to close out games properly.
“I have warned the players not to concede any chances. I’m disappointed with the result because it was good to see how we managed to fight back after conceding two goals early and, even after we opened a 4-2 lead, we created a lot of chances… But it was all in vain because in the last few minutes we let them back into it,” Flick told Spanish public television TVE.
“We had chances to go to the second leg with an advantage. We will have to talk a lot in the changing room about the goals we conceded… We have to correct the mistakes. The team is very young, there is a lot of room for improvement, but that is no excuse. They scored four goals against us and it’s just too much for our standards.”
Flick praised Atletico’s resilience and said that there were positives he could take from his side’s performance, mainly in attack.
“I am frustrated but still happy with many things I saw in the game. But the conceded goals can’t happen,” Flick said.
“Atletico played very well, we faced a good and strong team that left it all out there. But I think we dominated the game for 80 minutes, but in the last few minutes we didn’t defend well. I couldn’t believe the fourth goal.
“At least, I think the fans enjoyed it because it was a battle. Atletico have a fantastic team. The important thing is for the team to have confidence moving forward. We have to be positive, we are not throwing in the towel and we are confident we will be able to win the second leg.”
