Barcelona coach Hansi Flick was unimpressed with how the Spanish champions took their foot off the gas as they opened their defence of LaLiga with a 3-0 win at nine-man Mallorca on Saturday.
Raphinha and Ferran Torres had already given Barça a two-goal advantage when Manu Morlanes and Vedat Muriqi both saw red in the space of six first half minutes, forcing the hosts to play for over 50 minutes with nine players.
Despite that, it took until the 94th minute for Barça to add their third goal, Lamine Yamal opening his account for the season with a brilliant strike from the edge of the box.
“I didn’t like the match,” Flick told reporters. “It’s three important points, but I didn’t like it.
“After going 2-0 up and [Mallorca] getting two red cards, I think the team played at 50 percent and I didn’t like it. We can do better.
“I will talk with them. I don’t like them relaxing. We had to control the ball and the game. We have to score [more].
“Playing at 50 or 60 percent against nine players is not possible. We have to play faster. We have to improve in certain areas.”
Raphinha opened the scoring in the seventh minute when he headed in Yamal’s cross, but there was controversy surrounding Barça’s second goal in the 23rd minute.
There was confusion over whether play had stopped after Mallorca defender Antonio Raíllo went down with a head injury after being hit by the ball, but the referee never actually blew his whistle and Torres finished brilliantly.
“I tell the team we have to play until the referee stops the match,” Flick added. “It’s the referee’s decision and we have to accept it. If I were on the other side, I wouldn’t be happy.
“But I tell them that they have to stop when the referee stops. They must stay focused and keep going until the end. It’s a goal.”
Morlanes was dismissed shortly after when picking up a second booking and Muriqi soon followed him down the tunnel when his high boot caught Barça goalkeeper Joan García in the head.
Yamal then followed up his earlier assist with a trademark left-footed effort late on, whipped into the top corner, as the 18-year-old kicked off the new campaign as he ended the last.
“The important thing is that he plays at this high level,” Flick said of the teenager. “He’s special and everyone is watching him.
“What I see is that he’s very motivated. He’s always ready to push forward. Everyone can see that he’s exceptional.”
