FC Barcelona continue their perfect streak in La Liga as they have another win under their belt already. Despite facing a tough opponent in Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club, the team eventually managed to get the victory. Ultimately, a 2-1 scoreline was just enough to see Barcelona get all three points.
Many players ended up contributing to the victory in question, with the likes of Jules Kounde putting up a great shift as well. However, another player whose contribution in the game cannot be undermined is Raphinha, who was a relentless cog in Hansi Flick’s machine throughout the game.
Even after the match, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, Hansi Flick made sure to give extra emphasis to Raphinha’s contributions throughout the game and also highlighted just how surprised he was by the Brazilian winger’s relentless energy and pressing:
“We know that ‘Rapha’ can play in any attacking position. It’s very beneficial for us to have him, because if he starts as a ’10’ and we need to make changes, he can play in various positions.”
“He is always pressing, which is great for the team’s dynamics. I didn’t expect him to press so high and cover so many meters in 90 minutes. He’s doing very well at the moment.”
It seems clear now that all the additional effort that Raphinha put into the game was seen by the Barcelona coach and the player was complimented accordingly for it after the game as well. In fact, perhaps none would argue that Raphinha’s selection seems more than merited now.
While it remains to be seen what happens to Raphinha’s role when Dani Olmo makes his official debut for the team, but the Brazilian forward has been more than convincing in his new role so far.
From connecting with his teammates to directly engaging the opponent goalkeeper himself, Barcelona have a more than capable player to depend on even without Olmo as their attacking midfielder.
