The German coach Hans Flick, the manager of Barcelona, expressed his satisfaction with the draw his team achieved against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League. He confirmed that the team did not perform at its best with the ball, but it showed clear solidity on the defensive side during the match held on Tuesday evening.

The match saw Newcastle take the lead through Harvey Barnes in the 86th minute, before Barcelona equalized in injury time through Lamine Yamal from a penalty kick, allowing the Catalan team to secure a positive result ahead of the return leg.

Flick said: "I am more satisfied with the result. We didn't play well with the ball, but without it, we were good, and we defended as one team, which is positive. Playing in this stadium wasn't easy with this pressure and atmosphere, and we made many mistakes under this pressure, and we need to improve."

He added: "We have played a large number of matches recently, and Pedri was returning, as was Bernal after a long injury. We need to continue working and improving, but the positive thing is the result. After being down by a goal, it was great to achieve a draw, and I am confident that we will see a different Barcelona at Camp Nou."

Flick continued: "We did not play a good match; we lost possession and squandered many opportunities. We also made a lot of mistakes and lost the ball frequently. We need to improve these aspects in the return match. They have very fast players, but I am pleased with the team's defensive performance."

Regarding the absences, especially Eric Garcia before the match, he said: "We knew the match would be tough. Eric is an important player for us, but I'm happy with the result we achieved."

The German coach continued his remarks: "It was a match full of excitement. We have played a large number of games recently, and despite coming back from a long break, we will gradually work on improving our physical fitness. The opposing team was fast, but our defense put on a strong performance."

Regarding Ronald Araújo, Flick explained: "He did his duty, I didn't want to change his position too much, and he played well as a full-back. I agreed with him on that, but he was extremely exhausted after the great effort he put in."

He also spoke about the young player Gerard Martin, saying: "We have a very young team, and it's great to see the players' interaction and development, and I am happy about that."

Regarding the second leg match, Flick confirmed: "We need to rest now, we have another match on Sunday, but we have enough time to prepare well for the second leg. This is the level of competition, and we have to adapt to it."

He concluded his remarks about Pedri by saying: "We need to manage his playing time carefully. We had two injured players and everyone wants to play, but Pedri is one of the best players in ball control. The result was important to me, but the players' health was also important, and there is always room for improvement."