Flick urges Barcelona to bounce back from rout
Barcelona was humbled 4-1 by Sevilla at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Monday, its first defeat in LaLiga this season.
Barca found itself in a two-goal deficit in the first half, before striking back through Marcus Rashford, who scored his seventh goal in seven starts for the club in all competitions, just before the break.
The Blaugrana, who lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League in midweek, were unable to mount a second-half comeback, despite posting 69 percent possession.
Much of that came from a 75th-minute penalty, which was put wide by Robert Lewandowski.
The host took full advantage in injury time, as Jose Angel Carmona and Akor Adams got their names on the scoresheet.
Sevilla ended its 19-game winless run against Barca in LaLiga (D4 L15), securing their first victory since October 2015. It had lost the last seven in a row — its longest losing streak against the Blaugrana in the top flight — and also snapped their worst home run in the fixture (P9 D3 L6).
"This feeling today needs to give us motivation for the rest of the season. I would like to fight for every title," Flick said.
"We play for an incredible club and for supporters who are hurting after this defeat. But we have to accept it and look forward."
Despite falling to its first league defeat of the campaign, Barca found the net in 45 straight matches across all competitions, tallying 127 goals — a run that matches their longest-ever scoring streak, first set between November 1942 and February 1944, when they scored 139 goals in the same span.
"The first half wasn’t good — they played very aggressively one-on-one and we couldn't find the solution," Flick said. "The second half was better, but Sevilla scored more goals.
"After this defeat it's important that we stick together. We are a good team, and when we return from the international break, we'll fight for every title."
Barca will aim to get back on track when it hosts Girona after the international break.
