According to a report by Barca Universal on Monday, October 26, 2026, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has admitted that a lack of physical freshness contributed to his team’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the 2026/27 season.

The Catalan side suffered their first defeat in 10 La Liga matches after struggling to match Madrid’s intensity, allowing their rivals to take advantage of their weaknesses and claim all three points.

Speaking after the encounter, Flick acknowledged that his players were physically below their usual standards and stressed the need for a quick recovery ahead of their upcoming fixtures.

“We played against an opponent that was better than in previous Clásicos. We weren’t fresh. We have to recover, concentrate, and react,” Flick said, as quoted by AS.

Barcelona showed some improvement after the break and managed to get back into the contest, but their attacking approach eventually left spaces at the back.

Real Madrid exploited those openings through a quick counter-attacking move to score the decisive goal and secure the victory.

Flick admitted that his team failed to produce its usual level of performance and insisted that restoring the players’ energy would be important in their efforts to return to winning ways.

The German tactician also refused to blame the demanding fixture schedule for the disappointing result, despite Barcelona’s recent travel commitments and ongoing injury problems.

The defeat was particularly frustrating because it represented Barcelona’s second loss within the same week, increasing the pressure on the team to respond positively.

“We’ve had two defeats this week and that’s too many for me, and, no doubt, for the Barça fans as well. But this is part of the sport and we have to bounce back,” he added.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s injury situation remains another concern for the manager, who revealed that several players had picked up knocks during the recent fixtures.

Flick also indicated that he could look towards the club’s academy, La Masia, for additional defensive options if the injury situation continues to limit his selection choices.

Despite the setbacks, the Barcelona manager remains hopeful that some injured players will recover in time to strengthen the squad before the international break.

Barcelona must now respond quickly to their disappointing results, with Flick facing the challenge of restoring his team’s physical condition, defensive stability and attacking confidence.