Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was impressed with the performance of Raphinha as the club eased to a 3-1 win over Alaves in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday.
The Spanish champions needed to bounce back from their disappointing midweek defeat to Chelsea in the UCL and got the result they wanted which moved them temporarily back to the top of the standings.
Raphinha made his return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of action since September last week and made his first start in an impressive showing.
The Brazilian forward led the club’s attack and provided the assist for Dani Olmo’s goal in a player of the match display.
“Raphinha is a player who gives us game dynamics. We have missed him, and for me he is important because he gives a lot of intensity”, Flick said after the match.
“When he starts the pressure, everyone is ready to do it. It’s very important that he’s back, and important in the next games. At the moment, I’m happy with the three points.”
Alaves took a shock lead in the first minute as Pablo Ibanez opened the scoring, although Barcelona hit back few minutes later through Lamine Yamal’s brilliant strike.
Dani Olmo then put them back in the lead from a Raphinha assist, before the Spaniard netted another goal in stoppage time to complete the 3-1 win.
“I’m happy that we won the three points but we have to improve a lot of things. Among others, that we had chances and we didn’t finish. And that is what we have to improve”, the German added.
“We have also had too many losses and we must improve it. Winning is important and it should give us confidence. We must manage minutes for all the players.”
Barcelona return to action on Tuesday when they welcome Atletico Madrid to the Camp Nou in a crucial clash.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
