How should Hansi Flick handle Raphinha for Barca's clash with PSG and El Clasico? | Futbol Americas

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How should Flick manage Raphinha between PSG and El Clasico?

The show first reviews Barcelona's 5-2 win over Real Betis and a disallowed goal, then focuses on how Hansi Flick should handle Raphinha's return from injury ahead of PSG and El Clasico. The discussion leans toward not risking Raphinha as a starter against PSG and prioritizing Real Madrid, but one guest warns against treating the PSG match as meaningless because a heavy defeat could damage the team's mindset.

Futbol Americas looks ahead to Barcelona's upcoming matches against PSG and Real Madrid in El Clasico. 0:00 Barcelona defeat Real Betis 4:44 Hansi Flick's comments 8:09 What works best for Barca? ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: https://plus.espn.com/ ESPN ESPNFC

Transcript

This is the most watched game of football ever. They don't like each other and it usually shows. It's all kicking off. This is what we like to see. >> Verbal crossfire and maybe more and mayhem reigns. Ronaldo has done it again. How about that? >> How about that? Oh, brilliant. Fin with a goal. >> New era of Eláico is about TO BEGIN. >> GOODNESS. The world The world will be watching and you will be too. It's Barcelona Real Madrid. It is Eláico on Sunday, October 25th, starting at 4:00 p. p.m. Eastern time. Coverage begins 1 hour earlier, 3 p.m. Eastern time on ABC. You can watch also the game in Spanish on ESPN. Speaking of Barcelona, this was maybe the toughest test for them so far playing at Bettis. Bettis currently third in La Liga. Gabrielle Jesus starting Rafa on the bench and 10th minute. Look at Lamin Jamal bathing it like Lamin Jamal and it's Barceling her. >> It's automatic on the left foot once he gets you there. It's almost like back in the day a Robin with his left foot. You know he's going there. You can't stop him and he shelves it. What are >> you supposed to do there? >> Yeah. >> Nothing. >> Goalkeeper error. Right. >> Right. >> You can't blame the defender. You can't blame the goal. He just >> And it's another early goal for Barcelona before the 10th minute. 26th minute now for Betis. THE OPPORTUNITY AND IT'S VALENTINE Gomez with the header. >> It's a toing header up over the top of his defender. Boy just stood up and that's just uh said to fall as finish >> but before halftime it is Rodri now WITH THE HEADER. HER TWO TO ONE FOR BARCEL RODRIGO >> Rodri Rodri it's a beautiful ball in top of the six. Rodri with a good header and it's two to one. >> And now what about this action? This a golaso BY JOAVANNI ROELSO, BUT THE REF said there's a hand ball by Fuchu Hernandez 15 seconds before that goal and the goal is disallowed. Right decision, Jack. It's a hand ball, but that long before either you call it then if you allow advantage to play on. I I I think you you have to allow the goal to stand. >> And what about Kund playing the ball here? >> Yeah, there's a >> That's the thing. You can make the argument that's a different fish. >> I I'm not I'm not a fan of these kinds of calls at all. >> Well, goal was disallowed. Second half, Laminal now assisting Gabriel Jesus. And it's 3-1 for Barca. >> Yeah, Laminy. Good ball by Fermine Lopez. Great weight on it. And Lamin with the right foot to Gabriel Jesus. empty net. He will take that. >> Now, here's a crazy sequence. One minute after Barca's goal, look at this long pass and it's going to be Abd and Abd scores. IT'S 3-2. BUT then we have a scuffle and we're going to have a red card. >> Huh? It's a yellow card for Lame Jamal, but it's Fakundo Vernal WITH THE HEADBUTT TWICE. >> YEAH, that's right. >> Right decision. >> Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Pettis down to 10 man. La manan with a free kick off the wall. And after Kubarci's header is Eddie Garcia pointing 4-2 for Barca. >> Jack, he's got to take his head off. >> Go to take his head off. >> And Danny Elmo finally scoring 18 game drop for Danny Elmo. over and again it's Barca >> who Barca's almost averaging five goals per game to start the season and it's 5-2. Now the schedule, the fixtures get a little stronger. Tuesday at PSG, Eláico against Real Madrid. Some La Liga action against Alves and then playing Aston Villa who are in great form right now and then at Atletico de Madrid. So Rafa might be back. How is Hansy Flick going to start his team against current European champs? Well, this at the moment is um the most important thing what we have to do is now recover. Uh the recovery is is is very important. So we have to and then we have to see okay how we manage it with the minutes minutes minutes and um we'll see we will see if we will find 11 players and uh of course we don't know what happens with Eric um Ch's had a little bit problems uh Sherah also so we have to we have to see and um but but at the end is is two days more we have and then we see what happens on on Tuesday. All right. So both Eric Garcia and Kundai ruled out. They both carrying injuries from that game. Um but without Rafa Bara scored five against Betis, four against Galatasare, three against Kaf, but now is PSG away and then hosting Real Madrid. How should Hansy Flick handle Rafinho for these games? You got to see what Rafin's uh status is. Listen, anytime a player comes back from injury, you'll have a a certain number of games or minutes, excuse me, that you can play and that'll get green lit by the doctors, by the physios, and the head coaching staff and you'll go from there. I do not know it's a game where you throw them back into the mix and start. PSG is a very physically dominating team. It looks like it could be a trackme type of game. I don't know if that's a game you throw him into the fire. That said, if he's ready to go, you play him because it doesn't look like Barcelona have that much in reserves. And they are planning to play a lot of games. So, if you don't think he's good to go 90 for Eláico, you get him somewhat a good amount of minutes in this game. and and the rest you try to keep it as much as you've kept that spine normal. You keep it normal because if you don't PSC is a team that could as easily as Barcelona put five away on each team, this team could put five away on you. >> What is the most important game for Barca this week at PSG or Real Madrid? >> Real Madrid. PSG Champions League. Nobody nobody has ever won the the Champions League in in October. Um it's it what what happens in the second half of the season kind of given Rafiniah's injury history over the course of of of the last year. you want to treat him with with kid gloves. And as good as he has been, as important he has been, you make the point now that re that Barcelona somehow don't seem to miss him kind of if you if you look at the goals that that that he scored. >> Came off the bench with 20 minutes to to go against Betty's for PSG. I build on that if I'm Hansy Flick, I build on that slightly. I give him 25 minutes or half hour to end the game. No, I don't see the need to give him much more than that. had to push the second half and with with the view to him playing 90 minutes against against Real Madrid. But against PSG group stage of the Champions League, it's a game you can afford to lose. You still I I still think Barcelona finish top eight in in Champions League and and get a buy in the the first leg of the knockout stage. That this game in the greater scheme of things is irrelevant >> because now you have the question, what do you do? I I think we all agree starting Rafina feels like kind of rushing it, pushing it a little bit. So what do you do do now? Because >> Gabrielle Jesus has performed okay. He feels a part of the team, >> but you can also play with a false nine. You can start Danny Elmo. You can start Fermine Lopez in that position as well. >> Anthony Gordon or even Admy has started as a false nine. What do you do against PSG? I I'm also not at the idea of going back to uh Gabriel Jesus, who's a player who has his own history of injury. Um that's a lot of games for a player who's not played many games in the last couple years. That said, he's also a player that you think depth chartwise, if you had to lose, I'm going to say it respectfully, it'd be okay if he didn't play too many games. Um I wouldn't mind him playing this game if I'm being honest. Gabri Jus has proven to be serviceable. Uh, and that comes to no surprise to me. We're asking why Barcelona keeps scoring five a game against all these teams. It's Hanzi Flick. I mentioned it a few shows ago. The fourth choice striker for Arsenal is now scoring goals at Barcelona. Why? Because of the system. Because of how Hanzi Flick treats these players, how Flick sets these players up uh to press and expose teams. You're going to get opportunities like an empty net as we see here with Gabri Jus. I don't want to treat this game versus PSG as it doesn't matter. And I know Shaq, you're looking at it from a pointswise. They can still lose this game and they'll be fine. And that may be all fine and well, but something to be said about the psyche of a team before a big match. If you go out there thinking you don't need to win this game and then there's they call them accidents in football >> versus a team like PSG who's very capable of taking time off in League One >> and coming to the Champions League and scoring five on you. Then you take that energy, you take that psyche, you take that mentality of losing by multiple goals or however you lose >> into a game like Eláico that could be counterproductive. And I know nobody wins the league or wins the Champions League in October, but there are certainly moments with every single team, great teams that mark a season, a partying of water of the waters moment for good and bad, the positive and the negative. Don't let this game be one of those games. That would be my only warning to Hanzi Flick. While the Champions League is not dependent on this game, maybe the psyche of the season will be and that's a difference. Yeah, I I so to to that point I I I think that's how Barcelona that's how handsy flick approaches it. It's all well and good for me to sit here and say I don't see I don't see an issue with it. I I you know it's not if you if you lose here no no big deal. I I I make that point just in that this is not a game to to risk Rafinia. >> Correct. >> This is not a a game to risk anybody if there's there's any kind of doubt because of what's to come. If we're having the same conversation about PSG leading into Real Madrid game in March, that feels a whole lot different. But right now, given Rafiniah's injury history, there is no real need to risk Rafiniah. This is exactly the type of game, the type of moment that Gabra Jesus was brought for to allow you to rest Rafinia, to allow you to give Rafinia a little bit more time to recover from any injury that that he may have. And I'm Kirk described Gabra Jesus as serviceable. I think he's been good. >> I think Gabra Jesus go has been very very good. He's not been anywhere near Rafin good. >> But he has been good. And this is why Gabri Jesus was brought in so that where when Rafinia needs to be out for three or four weeks for whatever reason it may be, he comes in and it is a seamless transition or at least seamless in terms of formation and team identity. Yeah, >> Hanz Fleet even said that yes, it's great that Gabriel Jesus has scored three times so far, >> but his work rate, he's the one starting that high pressure on defenders. And the way you beat PSG is actually putting pressure on Marinos, on Pacho, and Gabriel Jesus has been fantastic. Anthony Gordon can do that as well for can do that as well. But if you brought a player like Gabriel Jesus to eat those kind of minutes, maybe he can give you 60 really good minutes. And in terms of physicality, then you get a fresh Rafinia for the end of the game, the final 30 minutes, and that could give you an advantage. >> I know we're talking about Barcelona. I know we're talking about Rafin. Maybe Rafaign isn't going to be used as heavily in this match versus PSG, but if there's one thing I really like about Luis Enrique, it's his ability to focus in on the opponent and say we are going to play them in this way. And I go back to the game in Champions League semi-final versus Bayern Munich. And Bayern Munich's best player throughout the s throughout the Champions League was Michael Ois. and they said, "What we're going to do is we're going to kick the ball out of bounds on this side to pin OS in. Make sure everything is in front of us and he is nonoperative in transition." They did that and it was null and void for Bayern Munich. They have a certain way of playing a team because Ru Enrique says, "This is how we're going to face this opponent and this is what we're going to do." I'm very curious of what that will be against Barcelona. If Rafinho was healthy, my money would be he would focus on Rafinho. That is definitely a heavyweight fight on Tuesday. Now on Thursday, another heavyweight battle. It's Football Americas. Special starting time, 100 p.m. Eastern. We're going to have a big Eláico preview again, Thursday, 100 p.m. Eastern time. Football America, guys, right here on the ESPN app.