Hansi Flick made no attempt to hide his disappointment after Barcelona's Clasico defeat to Real Madrid, but the German delivered a striking message about the pressure of fixtures and relentless travel. He felt physical exhaustion showed in his side's display, yet refused to use it as an excuse for the loss.
Barcelona fell to a 2-1 defeat on their own turf and in front of their own fans, beaten by Real Madrid in matchday 10 of the Spanish league.
Flick's tone turned angry. "Do you only watch the matches? We play here and there, and sometimes there are only two days between matches."
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The schedule drew most of his frustration. Flick explained that Barcelona's travelling party sat inside the aeroplane for three hours during one trip to Seville before deciding to return to the hotel, spend the night there, then head directly to Paris on Monday.
Raising the subject after a defeat might look like hunting for excuses, he admitted. He stressed he did not want to justify the result and would rather discuss these circumstances after victories, so that his words could not be read as shirking responsibility.
The clearest problem during the Clasico, Flick said, was the absence of freshness and vitality from his players. Restoring physical readiness will be a priority over the coming period, he added, with three matches left before the international break.
His plan for tackling the exhaustion is already set. The international players will get two days of rest, the rest will train daily according to the programme, and the squad will take a rest day on Tuesday before preparations for the next encounter begin.
Recovering that energy, Flick insisted, does not rest on the coaching staff alone. It demands the players' commitment to recovery, rehabilitation, proper nutrition and good sleep. "Everyone is required to make the right decisions off the pitch so that the team can compete and achieve victories," he said.
On the Clasico itself, the German acknowledged Barcelona cannot ignore the defeat and voiced his disappointment at the result. He felt the performance improved after the break, especially once his side equalised for 1-1 and took control of the game, though luck deserted them in key moments.
Praise for Real Madrid rounded off his remarks. The Royal club defended effectively and gave Barcelona none of the spaces they needed to create danger, coming out on top from an encounter that once again laid bare the importance of physical readiness and taking your chances in big matches.