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The German manager noted that the disappointing defeat was his fault
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick took full responsibility for his team’s disappointing 4-2 defeat to Osasuna in La Liga after his changes were blamed for the Blaugrana’s first loss of the league campaign.
Flick defends player rotations
In his post-match interview following the defeat to Osasuna, Flick acknowledged that his decision to rest key players like Raphinha and Lamine Yamal contributed to the defeat but defended the necessity of the rotation.
"We made a lot of rotations, and maybe it was one of the reasons, but they were necessary," Flick explained, adding, “There are many games in this stretch of the calendar, and some players had accumulated many minutes."
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Despite the loss, Flick noted that there was no alternative to the heavy rotation due to the limited squad options, and the packed European schedule, saying, "If you take a look at the squad right now, we have only three midfielders and a centre-back playing as a midfielder."
Flick already looking past Osasuna defeat
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Flick admitted that Barcelona made too many mistakes, especially in the first half, but praised the team’s second-half improvement.
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"When we played well and moved the ball, we created chances," Flick said, believing that the result could have been different had they started stronger.
The Barcelona manager refrained from criticising the referee over a potential foul in the lead-up to Osasuna’s second goal, instead focusing on moving forward., concluding, "It [potential misake] is in the past, and I don’t want to think about it anymore.”
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After the defeat, Barcelona will be looking to bounce back in the Champions League in midweek when they host Young Boys.
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