Flick claims Barca learned tough lesson in Atletico thrashing

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick stated that his squad failed to function as a unit and received a stark reminder during the initial period of their 4-0 loss in the Copa del Rey semi-final opening match against Atletico Madrid on Thursday.

The defending champions and current La Liga frontrunners suffered a heavy blow at Atletico's Metropolitano venue, with Diego Simeone's outfit dominating by netting four times prior to the interval.

"We failed to perform effectively as a collective in the opening half, lacking that team cohesion," Flick explained to the press.

"The gaps between players were excessive, and our pressing efforts fell short of expectations."

The German tactician noted that the experience served as a valuable wakeup call that might prove beneficial down the line in the season.

"Those initial 45 minutes delivered a significant wakeup call. At times, encountering such a setback at an opportune juncture can be advantageous, and perhaps this was it," Flick added.

"The latter half showed marked improvement, we have another fixture ahead, and we shall battle to secure victory there."

Barcelona's Pau Cubarsi saw a goal disallowed for offside amid controversy in the second half, as the VAR process dragged on extensively without clarifying the infringement for those at the ground or viewing remotely.

"This is chaos, utter chaos, forcing waits of I know not how long, was it seven minutes? For goodness sake," Flick vented.

"Did they uncover something after seven minutes? Fine. From my view, the incident seemed straightforward with no offside, though perhaps they spotted otherwise, but they should explain it.

"The absence of any announcement makes this unacceptable."