Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has urged his team to display their quality more consistently following a 2-2 draw at Real Betis that threatens their grip on the La Liga title race.
Despite goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, Barcelona squandered their leads, with Giovani Lo Celso and Assane Diao striking back for Betis. The result leaves Barca on 38 points from 17 games, vulnerable to being overtaken by Real Madrid, who trail by five points but have two games in hand.
Flick: “We Need to Be Better”
Flick was critical of his team’s performance, emphasizing the need for improvement, especially in away matches.
“It wasn’t a good game. The team is young and needs to improve a lot,” Flick told reporters. “We have quality, but we have to show it in every game. The passing was slow and we relied too much on long balls, which is not our strength. We need to focus on what we do best.”
Flick was sent off in the second half for protesting a penalty awarded to Betis after a VAR review deemed Frenkie de Jong’s challenge on Vitor Roque a foul. While Flick disputed the decision, he confirmed he would not appeal the red card.
Tough Fixtures Ahead
Barcelona face a challenging week as they travel to Germany for a crucial Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, followed by a league match against Leganes on December 15.
Flick remains optimistic but insists his team must learn to maintain their intensity and capitalize on opportunities to stay ahead in the title race.
