Raphinha highlights one of Barca's most crucial matches

Barcelona maintains its strong performance in La Liga by defeating Atletico Madrid 3-1, with Raphinha once more being the center of attention during the game.

In the match at Camp Nou, Raphinha excelled both in pressing and attacking. He consistently applied pressure at the front line, helping Barca keep control against Diego Simeone’s team. However, the intense effort meant he couldn’t complete the full 90 minutes.

According to MARCA, Raphinha said after the match: “I am trying to regain my best physical condition. Today, I really felt the fatigue. I asked to be substituted because I simply couldn’t keep running. Both Pedri and I are not at our best form yet, but we have other quality players who can come in and support the team.”

Although he left the field early, the Barcelona captain still demonstrated his key role in the team’s style of play. Raphinha inspired the pressing phase, constantly urging teammates to close down and maintain control on the opponent’s half.

He added, emphasizing the playing philosophy the whole team is adopting under Hansi Flick: “I believe the higher the pressure we apply, the closer we get to the opponent’s goal. This creates more scoring opportunities.”

Raphinha particularly stressed the importance of this victory: “I think confidence will grow game by game. We know this was a key match in the title race. These three points are very important and could decide the whole season. If we keep accumulating points match after match, things will improve gradually.”

Additionally, Raphinha believes Barca must always maintain a strong mentality, especially in games where they might fall behind. He affirmed: “We can concede first, but the important thing is to stay calm and be able to come back in matches like this. We understand how tough the game is and know it can happen again like last season when Atletico scored first.”

Not only securing three points, the win over Atletico also showed Barca’s fighting spirit and ability to turn the game around are improving. Amid a packed schedule and key players not at full fitness, Raphinha’s explosive return is a positive sign for Hansi Flick.

Barcelona will continue their La Liga campaign this weekend with an away match at Benito Villamarín against Real Betis, another test for the Catalan club’s ambition to maintain top position.

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