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Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has praised his team's performance despite the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Saturday, December 21, in LaLiga. The Catalans took the lead through Pedri in the 30th minute, but allowed the away side to get back into the game after the break.
Rodrigo De Paul scored the equalizer in the 60th minute, before Alexander Sorloth gave Los Rojiblancos the lead in the sixth minute of extra time. Flick was serving a touchline ban for the game.
Speaking to the media after the defeat, as cited by Tribal Football, the German manager insisted that Barcelona will use the upcoming winter break to get back to their best.
"I think we played a brilliant game. In the first half, we had chances. I'm very proud. But I'm also sad with the result. The scoreline shows that Atletico is a team with experience. I think our style was fantastic. I'm sad. I'm happy for Pedri, for Gavi... and we'll work on this next year," said Flick.
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He continued:
"We're not giving up. We're sad to come into this break, but we'll come back strong. The squad shows that it can score more goals. The game against Atletico was a great game. We lost against Las Palmas and Leganes... but today it was incredible how we played. We had chances."
He continued:
"Maybe this break comes at the right time. I appreciate how we played. But we have to play smarter and learn from these things. Everyone could see the quality. Losing nine points is not normal and we have to work on it."
Barcelona next face Barbastro in Copa del Rey on January 4, 2025.
How many games have Barcelona lost this season in LaLiga?
Barcelona are on a poor run of form at the moment, with four wins and four defeats in their last 10 games. Interestingly, only one of those wins were in LaLiga, where the Catalans have fallen behind in the title race.
The Spanish giants enjoyed a blistering start under Hansi Flick this season and at one point, it appeared that they would run away with the league. However, their luck appears to have run out of late, especially in the league.
Barcelona are second in the league table after 19 games, three points behind Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand. They have lost five games already this season in LaLiga.
