《Sport》reviewed Rodri's debut at Barcelona, praising his presence as a top-tier traditional midfielder.

Rodri joined Barcelona just a week ago and made his debut on Thursday with minimal preseason preparation. His performance lived up to expectations for a star player: when he came on as a substitute in the 62nd minute, the stadium erupted. Rodri made an immediate impact in his own way—his first touch was a commanding jump to the midfield, intercepting a high ball. It was a declarative performance. Flick called him a "natural leader," and Rodri quickly became the team's pivot.

Anyone watching his opening minutes could sense the aura of a traditional elite midfielder. Rodri is tall, and his presence on the pitch quickly had a cascading effect, particularly on his fellow midfielders. Flick fielded Rodri, Pedri, Fermín, and Olmo simultaneously, with Barcelona shifting to a more traditional midfield structure than their usual double pivot.

Rodri operated as a single pivot, serving as the sole anchor when the team attacked. When Barcelona built play from the back, they adopted a 4-3-3 formation, with Pedri naturally moving into a more advanced position. Fermín and Olmo constantly interchanged positions, while Adeyemi and Yamal provided width to balance the team. This approach proved effective, and Barcelona scored their second goal from it: after sustained passing moves, the team suddenly accelerated, and the tempo quickened when the ball reached Adeyemi. Adeyemi's cross found Fermín, who capitalized on Laporte's error to score his third goal of the season. Barcelona ultimately scored only twice because Unai Simón was the standout player of the match, but the team once again showcased their attacking prowess.

Without a No. 9, Yet Attacking Force Remains Strong

Since Flick took over Barcelona, two of the five matches with the highest xG created by the team in La Liga have occurred early this season.

This statistic reflects Barcelona's attacking capability. Despite lacking a dedicated No. 9 striker early in the season, Barcelona has played two of their best matches in terms of chance creation quality and volume under Flick.

Rodri's arrival has strengthened this more collective Barcelona, and the team also hopes for more balanced goal distribution. This is despite Raphinha, playing as the No. 9, performing well and scoring three goals.

Rodri's impact is expected to be felt at both ends of the pitch; against Athletic Bilbao, he already brought his understanding with Cubarsí from the national team to Barcelona. Currently, Barcelona has kept clean sheets in their first two matches, and Flick insists the team must improve control of matches this season.

Flick said after the victory: "Everyone is happy Rodri is playing with us. He is a perfect fit for us, for our style." With the arrival of this former Manchester City player, Barcelona can rely more on possession to control the game, and Pedri doesn't always have to drop deep to orchestrate play. In Flick's view, there are no compatibility issues, and Rodri is equally enthusiastic about what he's seen. He said: "The summer has been long, longer than usual. I needed to get back to rhythm as quickly as possible. This is where I want to be, and I'm pleased with the results. Now the work begins. It's important to regain fitness quickly and adapt to this great team. I've only played a few minutes, and it feels great."

Individual Extra Training

During Friday's training session, Rodri remained in the gym for individual work. This is no surprise: he hasn't had much preparation time, and his training plan is always personalized.

On Monday, he'll have another opportunity to find his rhythm in Barcelona's match against Rayo Vallecano. It remains to be seen whether he'll start or if Bernal will remain in the starting eleven. Barcelona's season will largely be defined by their midfield.

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