Flick: We have settled the striker issue, and this is what Rodri will offer Barcelona
The German coach expressed his confidence in Deco.
Hansi Flick, Barcelona's head coach, praised the signing of Rodri, insisting that the Spanish midfielder can give the team greater organisation and control over the tempo of matches, thanks to his experience and his ability to make decisions on the pitch.
Speaking after the 2-1 win over Egypt's Al-Ahly in the Joan Gamper Trophy, Flick said: "I think Rodri showed at the World Cup that he is the best player... and he is good at dealing with the ball at his feet."
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He added: "He is a player who can make decisions, he can decide when to play faster or slower. That is what we want, a player like him, who has experience. He is a leader on the pitch and in the dressing room."
The Barcelona coach also flagged up the challenge of the new season. "This year will not be easy. The preparation period was not easy, because many players arrived only a week ago. We have to use all these matches that we have so that we can manage the minutes, and bring the players to the highest possible level."
The Elche match
Barcelona kick off their La Liga campaign on Sunday away at Elche, at the Manuel Martínez Valero stadium, in the second round of the season. They sat out the opening round because several of their players featured in the latter stages of the World Cup.
On the Elche fixture, Flick said: "I think we have difficult matches ahead of us, Elche have played very good football recently. But we have the quality, and we have a great team. We must manage that, because I think the international break did not make things easier for us. But we are heading straight into the season, and we have very good and positive feelings."
He explained that the Catalan club is still working to sign a new striker during the summer transfer window, stressing his complete confidence in sporting director Deco.
"We are looking for this player (a striker)," the German coach said. "Deco has done a great job so far. I hope and fully believe that the matter is settled, I trust Deco."
Barcelona wrapped up their pre-season with the win over Al-Ahly. Hamza Abdelkarim opened the scoring for the hosts, Raphinha added the second from a penalty, then Ahmed Sayed Zizo pulled one back for the Red Giant.
