Rayo Vallecano boss Beñat San José has previewed his team’s La Liga clash against Barcelona and has had words of praise for Hansi Flick and Raphinha.
The Barcelona boss had led his team to two straight La Liga wins and is gunning for a hat-trick in the 2026-27 campaign.
San Jose says that Flick has built a great team since taking over at the Catalan giants.
“Barcelona’s overall philosophy since Cruyff arrived has been the driving force behind its identity. This is what produces such great players from
the youth academy. Quality, technique, and lightning-fast, accurate decision-making constantly make the difference,” he told a press conference.
“The coach gets everyone to pull together. Achieving that, with an aggressive philosophy in the best sense, makes them a formidable team. They’ve also made some very important signings, but the coach deserves a lot of credit.”
The Rayo boss is also wary of the threat that Raphinha offers after seeing the Brazilian score three goals in his opening two games for Barca thsi season.
“Well, they’re a world-class team. It’s normal that they sign world-class players. They have great strengths, they’re in spectacular form, and they’re stronger at home. But they also have their weaknesses. We have to manage all phases of the game, be good in all of them, and exploit our strengths by attacking their weaknesses. That’s where we have to look,” he added.
“Raphinha, whether as a center forward or on the wing, is very dangerous. We analyze our opponents and their areas of influence individually before every match. Regardless of who plays, our plan won’t change; only a percentage will be adjusted based on their profiles, in details, but our core idea remains the same.”
Rayo head to Barca after a tough start to the season that has so far yielded only a defeat to Sevilla and a 1-1 draw against Alaves.
