Hansi Flick sent out a strong message to his players after seeing his team beaten for the first time this season against Monaco in the Champions League.

An early red card to Eric Garcia left Barcelona with a mountain to climb, but they came close to nicking a point until Monaco went 2-1 up in the second half.

Flick admitted after the game that the sending off was crucial to the result but has urged his players to bounce back from the setback.

“Yes, the game changed completely [after the red]. We tried at all times, we defended with passion. We made some mistakes, but we tried to score goals. We had some chances, but they deserved to win,” he told Movistar.

“We lost, okay, I told the players that, but now we have to come back stronger, recover for Sunday’s game. We have to give our best and fight for the team. We lost this game, but we will continue to fight.”

Barcelona don’t have long to dwell on the result as they are back in action at the weekend against Villarreal. Flick’s side still remain unbeaten in La Liga and the German will want to continue that run at the weekend.