Flick praises Lamine's work as an attacking midfielder and justifies Raphinha's substitution

FC Barcelona thrashed Betis at La Cartuja (3-5) in another superb offensive performance from the blaugrana team. In the post-match press conference, Hansi Flick applauded the reaction of his players, who completed a fantastic first half, with four goals, despite starting the match losing again in the first few minutes, this time to a goal from Antony.

"I am very happy with the team. I respect how we fought and came back. The players were exhausted in the end, they fought for 90 minutes. I really value what was done today," the manager began.

Individually, Flick praised the work of Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres. In his return to the XI, 'El Tiburón' scored a hat-trick in 40 minutes, while the '10' shone as an attacking midfielder, in an 'experiment' that turned out wonderfully after the injury to Dani Olmo and the substitution of Raphinha. Fermín López, who was returning from injury, also started on the bench

Lamine did not train as an attacking midfielder before Betis-Barça

The Barça coach made it clear that, while playing Lamine as an attacking midfielder was an option he had in mind, there was no pre-match work in Seville with the player from Mataró playing with his back to the '9' and away from the flank.

"I spoke with Lamine and we asked him if he wanted to play as a number 10 and he said yes. It gives us more options to decide and that's good. Everything I've seen from him I've liked. He has connected well. He has run back, he has worked in defense. He is growing and improving. He is a fantastic professional," Flick argued.

In that sense, the German coach acknowledged the importance of reacting quickly to the initial disadvantage. "It's always very important to score two goals in quick succession and win; it's not easy against a team like Betis, which is very technical and has quality."

Praise for Ferran and the reason for Raphinha's rest

On the other hand, Flick also made clear the reason for Raphinha's substitution. The Brazilian had a notable first half against Atlético and Alavés, but on Saturday he remained on the bench at La Cartuja."Rapha is fine, but we have to take care of him because the match against Atlético was intense, especially for him," he said about the Brazilian, who should return to the lineup next Tuesday against Eintracht.

Likewise, the Barcelona coach applauded the performance of Ferran Torres, MVP of the match with his hat-trick. "He is a very intelligent player. He knows how to interpret spaces very well. He has the right mentality and confidence. This is the way forward. He deserves to be in the starting eleven," he stated about 'El Tiburón'.Flick also recalled that the Foiós player had already scored 3 goals at La Cartuja with the national team jersey. Therefore, he joked about the possibility of renaming the Sevillian ground "Ferran Torres Stadium".

Goals conceded in the final stretch

Finally, Hansi Flick downplayed the two goals conceded in the final minutes, where Betis managed to soften the thrashing. For the manager, fatigue affected the team, but there were many more positive aspects to highlight on the day

"If you want to think or see the negative, you can. But I don't. I am very happy with my players. Betis is a great team and, if my men weren't at one hundred percent at the end, it's normal," he stated regarding the defensive issue.

Finally, he valued the squad's response to move on after the defeat against Chelsea. "We're taking it step by step. We're on the right track. We've had good performances and on Tuesday we have to beat Eintracht," the German coach pointed out.