Barca's drop in form not normal, but Flick confident they will bounce back

Hansi Flick is confident Barcelona will recover from their dip in form after the winter break, though he acknowledged the slump is "not normal".

Barca were beaten 2-1 by Atletico Madrid on Saturday, with Alexander Sorloth's last-gasp goal sealing a comeback win for Diego Simeone's team.

Atleti subsequently moved three points clear of the Blaugrana at the top of LaLiga, and Barca will drop to third heading into Christmas should Real Madrid beat Sevilla on Sunday.

Barca have now gone three games without a LaLiga win, picking up five points out of a possible 21, suffering home defeats to Leganes and Las Palmas prior to their loss to Atleti.

Flick, though, is not too concerned.

"It was unbelievable how we played. Maybe this break came at the right time," he said.

"I appreciate how we played. But we have to learn from these things. Losing nine points is not normal and we have to work on it.

"The points lost against Las Palmas and Leganes are in the past. We will show after the break how strong we are. We are very disappointed with the defeat, but life goes on.

3 - #Barcelona have lost each of their last three home games in @LaLigaEn. It's their worst run in the competition after two other three-game losing streaks in 1965 and 1987. Breakdown. pic.twitter.com/3UPBkB0WvI
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) December 21, 2024

"When I drive to training I am happy because I can train with these players. Now there is not a good atmosphere in the dressing room, but that's football. We will be back for sure.

"We have to build confidence and make them proud of how they play. My job is to give confidence to all the players. I'm happy with this team, it's young and has fantastic quality."

Barca certainly had their chances against Atleti, who failed to register a shot in the first half.

The Blaugrana went ahead through Pedri's 30th-minute goal, while Raphinha hit the crossbar just before Rodrigo De Paul made it 1-1, with Jan Oblak standing firm in Atleti's goal to frustrate Flick's team prior to Sorloth's sucker punch deep into stoppage time.

Barca have now lost three consecutive home games for the third time in the history of LaLiga, following losses in October-November 1965 and September-October 1987, while it was their first home defeat to Atleti in the league since 2006.

They are not back in LaLiga action until January 18, when they face Getafe. Before then, they play Barbastro in the Copa del Rey and take part in the Supercopa de Espana, going up against Athletic Bilbao in the semi-finals.