Rodri lifts Lamine Yamal’s spirit after making Barcelona debut: ‘The goals will come’

Rodri lifts Lamine Yamal’s spirit after making Barcelona debut: ‘The goals will come’ Rodri’s first appearance as a Barcelona player lasted little more than half an hour , but the reception he received at the Spotify Camp Nou made it clear just how eagerly his arrival had been anticipated. The midfielder had already been applauded when he emerged to warm up shortly after the start of the second half.  When Hansi Flick finally sent him onto the pitch, the response was even louder, with the Camp Nou crowd rising to welcome Barcelona’s newest signing. Rodri backs Lamine after difficult few days Rodri’s Barça debut came in a 2-0 victory over Athletic Club that sent Barcelona to the top of La Liga, but the midfielder’s first words after the match also offered an early glimpse of quality the club hopes he will bring. “Lamine has been impressive. We’ve tried to lift him up, and he’s shown his best form, even though he wasn’t able to score.  “The goals will come because the talent is there,” said Rodri. Rodri’s comments came after a period in which Lamine had appeared to be searching for his best rhythm. The youngster had looked visibly frustrated after being substituted against Elche, and there was a sense that he was still working his way back towards his sharpest form.  Rodri has lifted Lamine Yamal’s spirit. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Against Athletic Club, his display was not consistently at its highest level either, but there were still enough flashes to remind everyone of his ability. Lamine created dangerous moments and came close to making a direct contribution, whether through his own attempts on goal or with passes that could have produced an assist. Rodri gets the first taste of his new team Rodri himself was clearly pleased to finally get his Barcelona career underway. “I’m really happy to have played my first match, and pleased with the win. Two out of two.  “It’s important to get into the swing of things and adapt to this great team. Those first few minutes felt good,” he said. The midfielder knows, though, that his work is only beginning.  After what he described as an unusually long summer, he has had limited time on the training pitch and is still building the physical rhythm required to compete regularly. Rodri made his Barcelona debut against Athletic Club. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) “It’s been a long summer, longer than usual. I need to get up to speed quickly. I’ve had very few training sessions.  “These minutes have been very important for getting into the swing of things. This is where I wanted to be. Now it’s time to get to work.” Rodri sees Barcelona’s depth as a major advantage One reason Barcelona moved for Rodri was his ability to add another level of quality and experience to an already talented midfield. The player himself appears to have recognised the standard around him. “The best players in the world are here and you have to be up to standard. This team has significant room for improvement and we’re going to go for it,” he said. Rodri also believes Barcelona’s midfield strength will come from variety rather than every player offering the same qualities. “The most important thing is that we’re all different. We offer the manager a wide range of qualities. There’s a huge variety which gives us a lot of depth,” he concluded. Source: Mundo Deportivo