Barcelona suffered their first league loss of the season in a 2-4 La Liga match away to Osasuna. After the match, head coach Frick was interviewed by the media, reflecting deeply on the match and looking ahead to the upcoming Champions League matches.
Impact of Rotation Strategies
Frick began by acknowledging the impact of the rotation strategy on the outcome of the game. He said, "We have to accept these losses, we didn't play particularly well. I think it's my responsibility to protect the players because they played a lot of games, but I didn't expect us to play like this." He emphasized that while rotation was necessary, the team clearly did not perform up to expectations.
herein lies the problem
Frick noted that the team made a lot of mistakes in the game while the opposition played well. He specifically mentioned a possible foul on the second goal, but said he had not yet seen the replay, so he could not be sure. "We made a lot of mistakes while our opponents played well. Although I think that in the second goal there was a foul on them at the beginning of the action, I'm not entirely sure." He also admitted that four goals scored by the opposition was too many.
Disputes over penalties
Flick remained calm and restrained about the controversial calls in the game. "It's not my job to talk about the referees." He responded succinctly and forcefully to questions about the call.
Reasons for replacing Levan
Speaking about the decision to replace Levan, Furyk said it was for the protection of the player. "Because he needs to rest as well, that's it, everybody needs to rest. He's strong, but we have a game every three days and we replaced him for his own good." He emphasized the intensive schedule the team is facing and the fatigue of the players.
Champions League Outlook
Frick showed optimism about the upcoming Champions League campaign. "I'm optimistic, I think everyone wants to play in the Champions League and that's good. We have to get our first win in the Champions League because three points are important." He also warned his team to be careful in dealing with a solid opponent in the form of the Bernese youngsters. "It won't be easy, Bern Youngsters are a very good team and we have to be careful."
