Coach Hansi Flick: 'Barca played poorly'

Coach Hansi Flick acknowledged Barcelona's subpar performance in the 1-1 draw against Newcastle in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, yet remained pleased that his side achieved a beneficial outcome.

Early morning on March 11 (Vietnam time), Barcelona narrowly avoided defeat when Lamine Yamal scored a penalty in the final seconds, allowing the visitors to leave St. James’ Park with a 1-1 draw. However, after the match, Coach Hansi Flick could not hide his dissatisfaction with his players' display.

“We did not play well at all, but we still capitalized on what we had. Playing on this pitch is truly not easy,” the German strategist shared post-match.

Nevertheless, Flick still saw positives from this result, especially since Barcelona will return to their home stadium for the second leg.

“The positive aspect is the outcome. The match at Spotify Camp Nou will certainly be different,” he added.

The away draw gives Barcelona a psychological advantage ahead of the rematch with Newcastle, where they will receive fervent support from home fans.

After the match, one notable detail was Pedri leaving the pitch after just over 60 minutes of play, raising concerns that the Spanish midfielder might be injured. However, Hansi Flick quickly dismissed this possibility.

“We have played many matches. Pedri just returned from injury, similar to Bernal after a long absence,” Flick explained.

The German coach emphasized Barcelona still has much to improve if they want to advance deep in the Champions League: “We need to improve. The whole team must continue to perform better, but the positive remains the result,” he said.

Additionally, Flick also commented on defender Eric Garcia's absence in the match against Newcastle. Media reports suggested the player was injured, but the Barcelona coach stated the decision to rest him was merely to avoid risk.

“Eric not playing? We didn't want to risk him because the team still needs Eric,” Flick stated.

He also praised the performance of Xavi Espart when substituted onto the pitch: “We have sufficient players. When Xavi Espart came on, he played very solidly in duels.”

According to plan, Barcelona will return to Camp Nou to host Sevilla in La Liga this weekend, and Pedri is expected to return to the starting lineup.