“He was almost holding hands with Hansi Flick on the sidelines” - Pundit slams Barcelona star who was ‘nowhere to be found’ in loss to PSG

Pundit Alejandro Moreno has launched a scathing criticism of Barcelona defender Eric Garcia following the Catalans giants' disappointing defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. PSG came from behind to win 2-1, handing Barcelona their first defeat of the season.

During his punditry duties on ESPN FC, Moreno highlighted Garcia's poor positioning during PSG's equalizing goal. He questioned both the Spaniard's awareness and the tactical approach deployed by manager Hansi Flick.

“Even though PSG have all these guys injured, they still have an element that really troubles Barcelona and that is the element of speed and timing your runs," Moreno said. "What I don’t understand from Barcelona and Hansi Flick’s perspective is, okay, you have this philosophy of playing with a high line, and that’s fine, but learn from the experiences of last year. Learn from playing against better opposition and how those teams exploited that back line. Learn that you need to have pressure on the ball.

He added:

“In the first goal, for example, I had no idea where Eric Garcia was. We focused on Jules Kounde being late chasing back, we focused on Cubarsi not being able to cut the pass to Mayulu, but Eric Garcia, the other centre-back, he was almost holding hands with Hansi Flick on the sidelines. How do you get yourself into such a position where you’re nowhere to be found as a centre-back?

Concluding, Moreno suggested that Garcia's struggles were emblematic of the recurring problems at the club.

“I’m singling out Eric Garcia in this particular circumstance, but these are things that have been happening quite regularly at Barcelona,” he noted.

Barcelona, under Hansi Flick, have added a new philosophy to their attacking football, pressing high and pushing defenders forward. However, their strategy backfired against the European Champions, who repeatedly exploited the spaces behind.

Following Wednesday's defeat, Barca now sits in 16th position in the league phase of the competition.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick 'love' Eric Garcia's performance despite 2-1 defeat

Hansi Flick admitted that his team didn't perform well against PSG, particularly in the second half. However, the German tactician praised Eric Garcia's performance during his post-match assessment.

He told reporters:

"We didn't have the structure in the second half. But when I see a player like Eric, who had a fantastic game, I love it. We have to train, improve, and it helps us a lot for the future. You have to last 90 minutes, the whole team has to defend, attack, be at a great level with the ball, take advantage of space, participate in possession... At PSG, you saw that everyone knows how to take advantage of space, wants the ball... these are things to learn and improve."

Barca will shift their focus to LaLiga. They will next be in action against Sevilla on Sunday, October 5.