The "heaviest player in the locker room" who can save Flick

BarcelonaHansi Flick sat dejected and alone on the bench after defeating Alavés. The players seemed satisfied, and the president, Joan Laporta, was already heading down to the locker room to celebrate the club's 126th anniversary with a cake, but the coach didn't look pleased. Only the Brazilian Raphinha seemed to notice and went over to Flick to talk to him attentively. "After the final whistle, Raphinha told me the same thing as last time: that we're going to improve. That we'll do much better in the following matches," the coach explained.

It was a significant conversation. Flick experiences matches with intensity. The club explained that the German's reaction stemmed more from anger over certain refereeing decisions, such as the uncalled penalty on Lamine Yamal and the decision to send off two of his assistants, José Ramón de la Fuente and Marcus Sorg, than from concern for the team. But Flick didn't hide the fact that he felt the match hadn't entirely pleased him, despite the result. Raphinha didn't hide it either: "The manager felt we could do much more on the pitch, and we also know we can do much better. His feeling is that the team isn't playing at its best, and I agree. We have to improve a lot, but I think the most important thing was to come away with the victory. We'll get back to our best. We'll win by playing well, but if there's a game where we play badly, I don't care."

Flick and Raphinha have been talking these past few days, since Barça has admitted that in the recent past, the Brazilian's injury recovery wasn't managed very well, like when he was injured in Oviedo and, in trying to get him back quickly, he relapsed. Flick needs him and wants to play him all the time. And he wants to help the team. However, sometimes the best thing is to be patient and not avoid risks, as has been done in recent weeks. "I'm trying to find my best physical form." “I’m not yet ready to play 90 minutes, but in the minutes I’m on the pitch, I try to give my best. I’m working hard and I hope to be at 100% soon,” he said on Saturday.

His return was necessary, as his teammates and Hansi Flick himself admit. Raphinha has become one of the team’s leaders thanks to his aggression and commitment on the pitch, in addition to his attacking talent. “It’s amazing how he competes and how he works. It’s not normal for all players,” Gaby Ruiz, who was in Leeds’ sporting management when they signed the Brazilian years ago, explained to ARA. “On his first day, he asked us about the training sessions and the workload. More than one person thought he was asking to see if he’d be sweating a lot, but he really wanted the information to be prepared.” "And in fact, he explained that he would train even more, on his own," Ruiz commented. The same thing has happened at Barça. "Being able to play for a club like this is what I've dreamed of my whole life," he confessed to Brazil a few months ago. Against Alavés, he was key when it came to attacking, but he also helped a lot in defense, ensuring that the wing where he played with Balde was barely used by the Basques, since he was the first to help with defensive duties. "Many times, I'm even too insistent asking my teammates to defend, but I think it's important, and I will always demand more from the people I know can give much more. In the game, someone has to be the insistent one, and that's okay; I take on that responsibility. Then, in the locker room, we hugged and celebrated the victory," he explained after Saturday's match: a critical speech about improvement. "We don't have the control or the intensity of last season." “This season we’ve had more injuries,” said Flick, admitting that the physical problems of players like Raphinha have greatly affected a team that has sorely missed a player who last season was one of the favorites to win the Ballon d’Or, having scored 34 goals and provided 23 assists. This year, however, he has only been able to start six matches and has only managed to score three goals. It’s not just about the goals, though. Against Alavés, he already provided two assists. Barça has missed the character of a man who became one of the leaders every dressing room needs, showing his fighting spirit, working hard, and sacrificing himself.