Hansi Flick is happy to have Raphinha involved again after the Barcelona forward made his mark on his return from injury.
Raphinha, who played for Barcelona last season, has missed much of this campaign due to nagging injuries, but the Brazilian forward was back with a bang on Saturday.
He set up Dani Olmo’s first goal as the Spain international scored twice in a 3-1 win over Alaves, while Lamine Yamal scored Barca’s other goal at Camp Nou.
The win took Flick’s team to the top of LaLiga, two points clear of Real Madrid, while Xabi Alonso’s side were in action on Sunday.
And Flick is happy that one of his biggest threats is back in the fold.
“Raphinha is a player who gives us dynamism in our game,” said Flick.
“We missed him, and for me he is important because he brings a lot of intensity.
“When he starts pressing, everyone is ready to participate. It is very important that he is back, and he will be important in the coming games. For now I am happy with the three points.”
34 – Barcelona have scored in each of their last 34 matches @LaLigaEN (90 goals), their best scoring streak in the league since February 2019, under Ernesto Valverde (37 games, 99 goals).
Punch. pic.twitter.com/UFCFtcXBF1
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 29, 2025
However, Flick was not entirely impressed with Barca’s performance, with Alaves taking the lead in the opening minute through Pablo Ibanez.
Barcelona finished with 18 shots, while also hitting the post, collecting chances worth 2.21 expected goals (xG), but Flick saw plenty of room for improvement.
He added: “I’m happy we won the three points, but we have to improve a lot of things.
“We had chances, but we didn’t finish them. And that’s what we have to improve.”
Barcelona will take on Atletico Madrid in a top match on Tuesday.
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