Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Hansi Flick believes Raphinha can thrive as Barcelona’s number nine due to his instincts in front of goal and connection with the fans.
Raphinha led the line for Barca in their 2-0 win over Athletic Club on Thursday and scored the opening goal, while Fermin Lopez also got on the scoresheet.
The Brazilian scored with one of his three attempts, while he also created the second-most chances for his side (three) and completed 100% of his dribbles (3/3).
However, Barca were far from their clinical best at Camp Nou, scoring just twice despite accumulating 4.23 expected goals (xG) from 22 shots, with 10 of those on target.
Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon was in good form as he made eight saves, though Flick admitted Barca could have won more comfortably if they had a recognised striker.
When asked if Raphinha was Barca’s best option for the role, Flick said: “We don’t know. For this match, yes.
“For me, it’s important that when we have Raphinha or any other number 9, we can stick to our plan. Because of his pressing, his movement, his runs off the ball, his goal-scoring ability.
“For me, it doesn’t matter what position he plays. He connects with the fans. He’s very good, and I see many players involved. We have a very good atmosphere in the group, and that’s necessary for us.
“Perhaps we would have sealed the win earlier today with a number nine. The important thing is that we created chances. I liked what I saw and we have potential. And we still have to improve.”
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 28, 2026
Barca have also started their LaLiga campaign with back-to-back clean sheets, conceding just two shots on target across their two wins.
Flick, whose defensive tactics were criticised last season, highlighted the importance of having a strong backline.
“It’s very important. We have a plan, we want to play attacking football,” added Flick.
“We played a great game, we created many chances, even though we only scored two goals.
“We need to be calmer and not always try to finish, without rushing things in certain situations, like when we went down 1-0. We have to keep possession.
“We defended very well. I like the level of our play, but we have to improve.”
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