"We had an amazing game." Hansi Flick gives the Barcelona 1-2 Atletico Madrid judgement.

FC Barcelona will not finish 2025 as the league's top team, despite a scorching start to the season. After losing to Atletico Madrid last night, the Blaugrana, who had held the top spot for most of the first half of the season, gave it up.

Hansi Flick, who was suspended after being sent off for a red card against Real Betis, was conspicuously absent from the touchline throughout the game.

However, as Mundo Deportivo noted, Flick continued to speak to the media during the press conference following the game, sharing his thoughts on Barcelona's most recent defeat. The head coach bemoaned his team's failure to take use of their possibilities, pointing to lost opportunities as a major contributing factor:

We faced off against a team that capitalised on its chances. We played a fantastic game, in my opinion, particularly in the first half. We made a lot of opportunities. Although I'm sad with the outcome, I'm really proud of the players. Being a highly skilled team, Atletico took advantage of their opportunities.

"Not being able to earn points today is annoying. That's what irritates me. Both Gavi and Pedri were amazing. We hope the future will be like this. We use it as an illustration. Before Christmas, it's a major source of frustration, but we'll bounce back stronger. The team will demonstrate our ability to score more goals.

Even though his team lost, Flick acknowledged that this was a great game:

"We faced a competitor on par with Atletico in this encounter. The game was amazing. Although we wasted six points in the games against Leganés and Las Palmas, today's match was outstanding. We had plenty of chances, but they played good defence. It should have produced a different outcome. They took advantage of our three errors.

We might benefit from the Christmas vacation. I told the guys that while I'm happy, we need to play more strategically. Regarding the calibre of our play, I have nothing to say. We prefer to play this way, but ultimately, it's football, and the team with the most goals wins. We'll need to improve since losing nine points at home is not typical.

Additionally, the Barcelona head coach shared his expectations for the team's future mindset:

"You'd best not play football if you don't want to win; we play games to win them. I don't care about the six points we lost to Las Palmas and Leganés since that is the past. We must win every one of the forthcoming home games, therefore this is where we must concentrate.

We demonstrated our playing ability today. Following the much-needed rest, we will train and demonstrate our strength. We're all disappointed by the loss today.

In this match, Pedri was unquestionably the best player wearing a Barcelona shirt, and Flick used the occasion to underline his skill level:

"Pedri exercises a lot and is really professional. He exercises more and receives additional treatments since he takes excellent care of his body. Seeing him at this level is amazing. He is also seen leading his colleagues on the pitch. At the age of 22, he is headed in the correct direction.

Finally, Gavi, who played a strong shift in this game, received appreciation from the German tactician:

"He has advanced significantly. He is very passionate, which greatly benefits the team. It's wonderful to see him return so strongly.