Hans Flick, Barcelona's coach, believes Raphinha is currently his best option to play as a centre-forward.
Barcelona is preparing to face Valencia tomorrow, Sunday, at Mestalla Stadium in the fourth round of La Liga.
During the match press conference, Flick said: "Yamal trained individually, but everything is fine; he will travel with us tomorrow, and then we will decide on his potential participation."
He continued, "Regarding the selection of captains? I believe my technical staff and I have been here for two years, giving us a more comprehensive understanding of what happens within the team. It was important for me to choose the captains myself, while the squad selects the other three leaders. That's exactly what we did: the first captain is Raphinha, followed by Pedri, then Eric García, then Frenkie, and Lamine Yamal fifth."
He added, "Yamal felt some pain, which is why I said it would be better for him to train separately, and that's what we did. After training, he said everything was fine, so we hope he travels with us and participates in the match."
He continued, "Real Madrid's stumble? When we look at their match, Real Madrid played well and created many chances, but ultimately this is football, and such things happen. We want to focus on ourselves, play in our own style and the way we desire, and everyone must be 100% convinced of that."
He further stated, "I enjoyed what I saw from Jesus in recent training sessions. Perhaps he hasn't reached full fitness yet, but he is ready to play some minutes and could provide the team with an important option tomorrow, especially in the second half. I like his style of football; he is calm on the ball and in front of goal, and it's very good to see that."
He went on, "The experiment of using Koundé as a centre-back? He is an exceptionally professional player. Even though he didn't start at the beginning of the season, he has treated it as a challenge. Of course, I spoke with him about playing in defence. I know he prefers playing as a full-back, and he delivered an excellent level during his first season with us. We must help him return to that level."
He revealed, "Even when Raphinha plays on the wing, he always tends to cut inside. I think he needs to be involved in the game, and currently, he is delivering an outstanding performance, making him our best option as a striker. As I always say, he also initiates movements and leads the pressing process very effectively because he possesses great strength and speed, which helps us significantly."
He added, "Lamine is a player who always wants to play football. He is not among those who enjoy doing running drills individually. For me, I prefer him to play 90 minutes rather than undergo a training session the next day. I believe the way we handled his situation was appropriate, and I think it was good for him as well."
Barcelona won their first three matches against Elche, Rayo Vallecano, and Athletic Bilbao.
