Barcelona might have secured a 3–0 victory in their first La Liga match of the season, but Hansi Flick was less than impressed with his side’s performance.
The Catalans kicked off their Spanish title defense at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, taking on Mallorca in the first of three consecutive away matches to open their 2025–26 campaign. Barcelona picked up right where they left off last season, scoring two goals in the first 23 minutes of the clash.
Mallorca then went down a man after Manu Morlanes received his second yellow card of the match in the 33rd minute. Just six minutes later, Vedat Muriqire was sent off for a high boot on Joan García, leaving the hosts with nine men against the defending La Liga champions.
Yet Barcelona scored just one more goal before referee José Luis Munuera blew the final whistle. After the match, Flick did not hold back his criticism for his team’s effort.
“I didn’t like the match,” Flick said. “It’s three important points, but I didn’t like it.
“After going 2–0 up and [Mallorca] getting two red cards, I think the team played at 50% and I didn’t like it. We can do better.”
With a two-goal cushion against nine men, Barcelona cruised in the second half until Lamine Yamal found the back of the net in stoppage time to emphatically seal the game for the visitors. The goal was not enough to satisfy Flick, though.
“I will talk with them. I don’t like them relaxing. We had to control the ball and the game. We have to score [more],” the Barcelona boss added.
“Playing at 50 or 60% against nine players is not possible. We have to play faster. We have to improve in certain areas."
The Catalans likely would have found more success up top had Robert Lewandowski been on the pitch. The striker, who bagged 42 goals across all competitions last season, missed the game with a hamstring injury.
Next up for Barcelona is a trip to Valencia to take on Levante. Flick will be looking for a noteworthy response from his men against the newly promoted side.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Didn’t Like It’—Hansi Flick Rips Barcelona for La Liga Season Opener.
