Barcelona suffered their heaviest defeat of the season against Atletico Madrid on Thursday night, leaving them with little to no hope of making it through to the Copa del Rey final. Los Colchoneros exposed the Catalan side time and time again defensively, in a match that raised questions about their approach.

Following the match, Flick said he was proud of how his side had performed across the duration of the season, but reports circulated in Catalonia that the following morning is the most angry Flick has been with his players since arriving at the club. The German manager questioned their intensity, commitment and energy in the first half of the game.

The response from the Barcelona players

However the Barcelona squad were not willing to attribute all of the issues to their own competitive edge. The Athletic say that the players held talks with Flick thereafter which had not been scheduled, in which they told him that the conditions were not right for Barcelona to insist on his high defensive line and intense pressing system.

The defeat to Atletico was not the first time a similar pattern had occurred, with a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge and a 4-1 defeat to Sevilla referenced. Barcelona’s squad requested a more pragmatic approach against certain opponents and in certain games.

🚨 OFFICIAL: FC Barcelona statement.

"FC Barcelona hereby announces it has sent a formal letter to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), addressed to its President, the President of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), the head of VAR, and the Director of Legal…

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 14, 2026

Raphinha and Pedri absences keenly felt

One of the conditions in the eyes of the Barcelona squad that made the conditions imperfect were the absences, namely those of Pedri and Raphinha. Without the Canary Islander in midfield to retain the ball, and Raphinha to add an edge to their pressing and play in the final third, it is felt that it is that much more difficult to pull off Flick’s tactics successfully.

Their intention was not to persuade Flick to change his tactical approach, but to nuance it more depending on the opponents and the players available.