Karim Adeyemi's Barcelona debut turned into a major disappointment. The German forward failed to make any attacking impact during the friendly against Birmingham City, a display that stood in stark contrast to the brilliance of Egypt's Hamza Abdelkarim.
Hansi Flick made no attempt to hide his frustration when he faced the press after the match, which finished 2-2 before Barça lost 3-2 on penalties. "As for Adeyemi, things did not go well in many aspects," the coach said frankly.
The message to the former Borussia Dortmund man was clear, even if Flick softened the edge by pointing out that this was only his first match in the new club's shirt. The hint was obvious: he needs to raise his level, and fast.
Hamza Abdelkarim only deepened Adeyemi's discomfort. The young Egyptian forward scored twice and produced an exceptional performance, imposing himself as one of the biggest surprises of the preparation camp and piling double the pressure on the German to prove his worth.
Winning Flick's trust and competing for a starting place in the Catalan attack now looms as a major challenge, particularly amid fierce competition and a crop of promising young talents hungry to snatch opportunities from the more experienced players.
Such a disappointing start deals a painful blow to Adeyemi's hopes of settling quickly into Barcelona's system. He faces a difficult task to change that negative first impression before the official season kicks off.