‘Self criticism and work’ – Eric Garcia and Barcelona stars in defiant mood after Girona defeat

Barcelona’s dressing room has responded to back-to-back setbacks against Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey and Girona in La Liga with a chorus of defiance, insisting the season is far from lost. Manager Hansi Flick granted the squad two days off after the bruising 2-0 league defeat at Montilivi, hoping the brief pause will allow minds and bodies to reset ahead of a pivotal run of fixtures.

Winger Raphinha set the tone on social media, posting: “Well, we have many things to improve, but not just us. It’s very complicated when the rules are different, whether they’re in your favor or against you, but if we have to play against everyone to win, so be it… We’ll do it. Visca el Barça always.”

Center-back Eric Garcia followed with an equally resolute message: “Days to recharge our batteries and recover from two bad results. Self criticism and work. Let no one doubt that we will stand up and fight for all the titles.”

Goalkeeper Joan García echoed the sentiment, telling supporters that while the Girona outing “did not go as we wanted… we will come back stronger than ever.” Teenage defender Pau Cubarsí underscored the club’s unity by sharing an image of himself in blaugrana colors alongside the caption: “In good times, but even more so in bad times.”

Flick, who will reconvene his squad on Thursday to prepare for Sunday’s visit of Levante, struck a similar chord after the final whistle in Girona. “Everyone is disappointed. We will fight. We have time to come back now in the next two weeks with no midweek games,” he said. “We will train good and come back for Sunday. Now we have to fight and attack the first place in the table.”

The collective rallying cry suggests Barcelona intend to channel recent frustration into a renewed push on multiple fronts, beginning with the chance to close the gap at the top when league action resumes at the weekend.