Hansi Flick made it clear he retains complete confidence in his Barcelona team and that he has the support of the club’s board following their Clasico defeat to Real Madrid.

Barca suffered successive high-profile defeats last week as they followed a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League by losing the Clasico at home to a pair of Kylian Mbappe goals.

Mbappe gave Jose Mourinho’s men the lead in the 41st minute at Camp Nou, before Raphinha restored parity just after the hour mark.

But it was Mbappe who had the final say, the France star presented with a simple finish after superb work in the final third from Eduardo Camavinga.

Barcelona are two points clear of Atletico Madrid at the top of LaLiga as they look to defend their title, with Madrid just a point further back.

However, Flick is not feeling the pressure from sporting director Deco or president Joan Laporta.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s clash with Alaves, Flick said: “I spoke with the president and Deco. It’s great. I know the situation.

“We’ve lost two games in a week, but I have complete confidence in my team. Nothing has changed. I don’t see any lack of mentality. I’m very happy to be here. Nothing has changed. 

“We won the first 11 games, now we’ve lost two, and we have to get back to winning ways. That’s our job.

“I’m totally convinced of our style of play. We’ll stick with it until the end. That’s the most important thing, to be convinced of our approach.”

Barca are dealing with several injuries in defence, with centre-backs Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia unavailable, along with full-backs Jules Kounde and Xavi Espart.

Asked about speculation of Barca pursuing a centre-back in the transfer window, Flick replied: “I said it during the transfer window, we always talk about what’s best for the team, how we can improve it.

“It’s something we’re working on. We’ll see. We have a few weeks left before the transfer window opens,” he said.

“We’ve discussed it with Deco, [football coordinator] Bojan , and my staff. That’s how we do things. If we can, maybe we will.

“Defending isn’t just a job for the defenders; everyone is involved. First, we can’t afford to lose possession easily like we did against Real Madrid. It’s not good. It’s not the quality we usually have. I already said that perhaps we weren’t very fresh. 

“We need to play with more concentration. And when it’s time to defend in the box, it’s important to mark the opponent. We weren’t very good at that. We have to improve. We’re training this and talking to the players about it. We have to manage it.

“We need to control matches, have more possession, and fewer turnovers. That’s the key. You have to decide how to move the ball and the opponent. It’s good not to lose possession, otherwise you have to chase it. 

“We need to improve on this. The way forward is to make fewer mistakes. We need to stay calm and play with more control.”