According to a report by Daily Post on Monday October 26, 2026, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has blamed fatigue for his team's 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday's El Clasico.

The reigning LaLiga champions suffered their first defeat of the season after Kylian Mbappe scored twice to give Real Madrid all three points.

Barcelona had hoped to secure a positive result against their fierce rivals, but they struggled to perform at their highest level during the encounter.

Real Madrid took the lead through Mbappe, whose effort went in after a deflection. Barcelona responded through Raphinha, who scored the equaliser to give the home side hope of getting back into the contest.

However, Mbappe struck again with just three minutes remaining to secure a 2-1 victory for Real Madrid.

Speaking after the match, Flick explained that his players lacked the freshness needed to compete at their best, pointing to their demanding schedule in recent weeks.

The German tactician revealed that Barcelona had played four matches in 12 days, a run of fixtures he believes contributed to their disappointing performance against Real Madrid.

"We were not playing at the highest level because of the lack of freshness," Flick said.

He admitted that the result was disappointing but insisted that the team must accept defeat as part of football.

"It's not top for us but we have to accept it and defeats is part of the game. It's the first defeat in 10 games," he added.

Despite the setback, Flick remains hopeful that his players will recover and return to their best form in their next outing.

Barcelona will have a full week to prepare for their upcoming match, giving the squad an opportunity to rest after their demanding schedule.

"We have a whole week before the next game to prepare and disconnect," Flick said.

The defeat ends Barcelona's unbeaten start to the season and gives Real Madrid a significant victory in the race for the LaLiga title.

Flick will now look to ensure that his team responds positively when they return to action, with the manager hoping that additional rest will help his players regain their sharpness.