Hansi Flick, the Barcelona manager, covered plenty of ground ahead of tomorrow's La Liga clash with Sevilla. Chief among the talking points was the new role Raphinha is playing as an out-and-out striker, alongside his praise for Karim Adeyemi and how quickly the German has settled into the side.
Barcelona travel to Sevilla sitting top of the table with 18 points from six rounds, a perfect record.
Raphinha leads Barcelona's press
On his vision of Raphinha as a number "9", Flick said: "When you look at the last two seasons, you will find that we always started the pressing process from the number 9. Raphinha has this hunger, this desire and the mentality that we need to begin the press in the way we want."
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, as highlighted by the newspaper "AS", he added: "He does not only deliver outstanding levels in attack, he also performs superbly defensively. Raphinha is the one who starts the pressing process, and as the team's captain, he leads everyone, and the others follow him."
Flick has turned to Raphinha in the centre-forward role since the start of the current season. Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have departed, Gabriel Jesus's return has been delayed, and the club failed to land Julián Álvarez, the main target to bolster the front line last summer.
The Brazilian has thrived there. He has scored nine goals in six matches so far, topping the scorers' list.
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"I am betting on the Barcelona star 100%"
The Barcelona manager also turned to new arrival Karim Adeyemi, praising the German's blistering pace but stopping short of calling him the fastest player he has ever coached.
"He is very fast, but I do not know whether he is the fastest among all the players I have coached," Flick said. "Alphonso Davies has similar pace."
On Adeyemi's personality inside the dressing room, he added: "He is a good lad and a wonderful person, and he is highly respected inside the dressing room. Everyone likes him a lot, and his performances in matches make things easier."
According to Flick, the move to Barcelona came at the right time for the player. "I think he was not living through his best period in Germany, and so it was better for him to change the atmosphere and move to another country," he said.
Flick signed off with a ringing endorsement: "I am very happy that he chose us. I will give him confidence, and I am betting on Karim 100%. We will see more matches like the one he delivered on Wednesday."
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