Barcelona boss Hansi Flick was full of praise for Raphinha after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Alaves at Camp Nou in La Liga.
The Brazilian was back in the starting XI and put in a strong showing as the Catalan giants came from behind to take all three points.
Flick was thrilled to see Raphinha back in action, highlighting how Barca’s press is much improved when the Brazilian is on the field.
“Raphinha always brings dynamism to our game. He’s very important because he has great intensity, and when he starts pressing, he makes everyone else press too. He needs to improve in the upcoming matches, but it’s fantastic that he’s back,” he told reporters.
“I’m very happy to have them back. It wasn’t easy managing their playing time. Rapha could only play 60 minutes, Pedri, 30… I’m happy with the three points but not with some situations: we lost possession too often. We managed the game well.”
Barcelona now look forward to a game against Atletico, with Flick still not sure if Pedri will be able to start against Diego Simeone’s side.
“We’ll see, we’ll see how things are tomorrow during his recovery. We don’t have many days left,” he added.
“But Pedri is fine, I’ve asked him. And Rapha, too. He showed his dynamism and intensity. I’m also happy with Dani. It hasn’t been easy for him these past few weeks, and he scored two goals.”
