Hansi Flick fumes after Barcelona lose against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian

Speaking after Sunday's loss, the Barcelona head coach pointed to missed chances, defensive errors and a controversial refereeing performance, while insisting his side must move on quickly.

Barcelona created a number of clear openings but were punished for lapses at the back, allowing Real Sociedad to claim a vital home win. The result left the Catalans just one point clear at the top after Real Madrid had won a day earlier.

"I'm not happy. I'm disappointed," Flick said. "We had a lot of clear chances and the result doesn't reflect what we saw. But I liked how we played. We made mistakes in defence and we have to defend better. In attack we were also unlucky. We have to accept it and focus on the next game, which is very important."

Despite the defeat, Flick defended his team's recent form. "Our game has been good," he added. "We've played very well in the last two weeks and we have to keep it up. We cannot focus only on the referee. We must concentrate on what we can change."

The referee, Jesus Gil Manzano, became a major talking point after the final whistle, with stand-in captain Frenkie de Jong voicing his frustration on the pitch. Flick acknowledged the issue but refused to dwell on it.

"Everyone has seen it," Flick said. "I'm not going to spend time or energy on that. We should have scored more goals. That is the key point."

He also highlighted communication problems. "Frenkie is right. He's calm and he's the captain. Sometimes you want to talk to the officials and you can't. With Gil Manzano, there was a lack of communication."

Barcelona now turn their attention to a demanding run of fixtures, knowing there is little margin for error at the top of La Liga. 

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