Despite this disappointing performance in London, Hansi Flick was optimistic after the meeting, promising a “different Barça” in the weeks to come. Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia stressed that Barça had started the season well, but needed to be more competitive against the big teams.
Hansi Flick’s reaction in the locker room
According to El Chiringuito, Flick was “very annoyed” after the match and in the locker room with his players. The German coach was unhappy with the attitude of his team, believing that Raphinha, who came on late in the match after an injury, had shown more fighting spirit than the rest of his players, whether with 11 or 10. José Álvarez assures that it was one of the most difficult moments he has experienced since his arrival at FC Barcelona.
As MD points out, Chelsea’s clean sheet ended a streak of 53 consecutive games with at least one goal scored. It was also the first time Flick had seen one of his two teams, Bayern Munich or Barcelona, go silent in Europe – his own run then stood at 37 games without scoring. Sport also notes that Chelsea covered 105.7 km compared to 104.4 km for Barcelona, even if the difference is minimal, and that the Blues played with one player more for more than half of the match.
Chelsea have shot three times more on goal than Barcelona
Other statistics were more problematic. Chelsea shot three times more on goal than Barcelona (15 to 5) and recovered 38 balls compared to 30 for the Catalans. They also dominated possession, with 54% of the ball.
FC Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses are well known this season, but so is their inability to press consistently throughout matches, especially against teams of a similar level. During defeats against Chelsea, PSG and Real Madrid, Barça had opportunities to do better at times, but we felt that the opponent still had resources and that they were going to create difficulties. In these important matches, FC Barcelona lost with a cumulative score of 7-2.
