Barça wins the chaotic El Clasico but Hansi Flick demands more!
Barcelona emerged victorious from a breathtakingly chaotic Clásico, defeating Real Madrid 4-3 to stand on the brink of a league and cup double. However, coach Hansi Flick tempered celebrations, admitting the rollercoaster match left him needing a "heart check" and stressing that defensive improvements are crucial, insisting his side doesn't "feel like champions" yet.
The Catalan giants endured a nightmare start at home, falling 2-0 behind within 15 minutes thanks to a quickfire brace from Madrid's Kylian Mbappé. With their title aspirations seemingly fading and their rivals momentarily closing the gap, Barça roared back spectacularly. Goals from Eric García and Lamine Yamal, followed by two strikes from Raphinha, propelled them into a stunning 4-2 lead before the halftime whistle, showcasing their formidable attacking power.
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Though Mbappé completed his hat-trick to keep Madrid in the contest, and visiting debutant Victor Muñoz spurned a golden opportunity to level the score in the dying moments, Barcelona held on for their fourth Clásico victory of the season. The win establishes a commanding seven-point lead at the summit with only nine points left to contest.
'I am going to have to check my heart'
Despite this advantageous position, Flick remained grounded. "I am going to have to check my heart," he quipped post-match. He acknowledged the team's offensive flair, which has yielded 95 La Liga goals, but highlighted recurring defensive vulnerabilities, referencing the three goals conceded not just against Madrid, but also in both legs of their Champions League semi-final defeat to Inter. "It would be easy to say the tactic is to score four if they score three," Flick stated. "We have to improve a lot defensively... This can get complicated when we make mistakes."
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Refusing to take the title for granted, Flick added: "We are in a good position, but you never know what can happen. We still need three points, and every opponent wants to beat us." When asked if his team was the most entertaining in football, the coach demurred, focusing on his own experience: "You have to be the ones to say that; I suffer a lot. I hope we can do things better and make fewer errors."
