HANSI FLICK was seemingly consoled by Raphinha after appearing to nearly break down in tears following Barcelona’s win over Alaves.
The Catalans moved to the summit of the La Liga table on Saturday night with a 3-1 win at the Nou Camp.
Flick was visibly emotional after the win, which came on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on Tuesday.
The German appeared to well up as he sat in the dugout before he was roused by a brief conversation with Raphinha.
Flick lifted the lid on the emotional post-match chat by saying: “Raphinha was telling me the same thing I said last time: ‘We will improve.
“We will be much better in the upcoming matches.”
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Raphinha played a pivotal role in Saturday night’s win, providing a key pass for Barca’s opener – which was scored by Lamine Yamal – and assisting the first of Dani Olmo‘s two goals.
Flick said of the former Leeds man: “Raphinha is a player who gives us dynamism in our play.
“We’ve missed him, and for me, he’s important because he brings a lot of intensity.
“When he starts pressing, everyone is ready to join in.
“It’s very important that he’s back, and he’ll be important in the upcoming matches.
“For now, I’m happy with the three points.”
Despite his troops being at the top of the table, Flick is far from happy with how his charges are playing.
He said: “I’m happy we won the three points, but we have to improve many things.
“Among other things, we had chances but didn’t finish them. And that’s what we need to improve.”
Barca will be back in action on Tuesday, taking on Atletico Madrid in a top-of-the-table clash.
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