Rodri talks Barcelona performance, Pep Guardiola advice and Raphinha after 3-1 victory over Sevilla

Rodri talks Barcelona performance, Pep Guardiola advice and Raphinha after 3-1 victory over Sevilla Barcelona’s perfect start to the season suffered its most uncomfortable test yet at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, but the Catalans still found a way to win and keep their record intact. A 3-1 victory over Sevilla made it seven wins from seven in La Liga , but Rodri believes the value of the night went beyond another three points. The midfielder admitted Barça initially misunderstood what the game required. Sevilla punished careless possession and forced Hansi Flick’s side to adapt, making the second-half response an important early lesson for the team. Rodri: “The team has been impressive” As quoted by Mundo Deportivo , Rodri spoke about Barcelona’s start to the new season and their performance against Sevilla. “Obviously our intention, as the coach said, was to get seven wins from seven before the break. The objective has been achieved,” Rodri said. “I think the team has been impressive during this period.” “Today was perhaps the most complicated game since we started, and credit goes to Sevilla because, for me, they played a great game. I think we had a first half where perhaps we read the game incorrectly, and then we had a very, very, very good second half.” Rodri explains what changed for Barcelona against Sevilla in the second half. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Rodri explained exactly where Barça went wrong. “Because many times, if the first attempts aren’t working, you shouldn’t keep insisting on the same mistake. We lost a lot of balls, and in the end that’s exactly what they wanted,” he said. “They were very strong through the middle. I think it was a game that required a little more calm, one extra pass, and from there opening the spaces, which is what we did in the second half. The mistakes punished us a lot, as did losing the ball naively. They have players with speed and physical power.” Rodri then revealed something Pep Guardiola told him that has since stuck with him wherever he went. “Pep used to tell me something that was true: ‘There is no system that can compensate for repeatedly losing the ball,'” he said. “It was more about being calm and not losing the ball, rather than the system itself.” He expanded on the lesson Barça had received from Sevilla. “It was a very important victory and I think it also came with a big lesson. We knew we were playing at a very difficult ground, the Pizjuan,” Rodri said. “They played a very good game. They were a solid team that knew exactly what they wanted to do. It’s true that we struggled to get into the game during the first half.” “We made a lot of unforced errors, as they say in tennis, unforced errors. We lost easy balls and they broke against us in transition.” “Against a team that drops back and then comes out with players who have physical power and speed, you have to be smarter. In the second half we corrected that.” “I think we saw two different faces of the game, a first half that wasn’t good and a second half that was very good.” Rodri refused the narrative that Barcelona had got carried away Barcelona had entered the game accustomed to scoring four or five goals, but Rodri rejected the suggestion that Sevilla provided a necessary reality check. “No, our feet are already on the ground. In the end, we’re aware of how difficult every game is,” he said. “Obviously we’re going to try to win everything, and if we can score as many goals as possible, we’ll do it. But we understand that every game will be complicated, and we never expect to always win by big margins. This is one of the most difficult grounds in the first division, and today they proved it.” Rodri also spoke about his growing leadership role after Flick wanted not only the midfielder but the personality Barcelona could build around. “I feel very good, with great rhythm, and every time my feelings are getting better, especially in understanding where I need to move,” he said. “Today perhaps we experienced our first difficult spell in these games, where things weren’t going the way we wanted. We learn from that too. We learn what message needs to be sent to the team, where we need to position ourselves and what to say at half-time. Those kinds of things. You’re always learning.” Rodri amazed by Raphinha’s transformation Raphinha’s evolution into a central striker has clearly impressed a player who knows something about playing alongside elite No. 9s. “He’s in incredible physical condition. I don’t know how many shots he had on target, but he scored three goals from three or four shots. That’s impressive,” Rodri said. Rodri could not stop waxing lyrical about Raphinha. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images) “With both feet and with his head. You’re talking about a player who, when I knew him at Leeds, was completely different. He played on the right wing as an inverted winger, and now he’s become a proper striker who moves to open spaces, makes runs and shoots at goal.” “It’s an impressive transformation for this player.” Asked to name his three standout performers against Sevilla, Rodri refused to include himself. “I’m not going to vote for myself,” he said. “For me today, Rafa was clearly decisive. I think Lamine was very good as well.” “And who else would I highlight? Maybe Adeyemi. I really liked how he came into the game in the second half.” Barcelona head into the break with their perfect record intact The interruption now arrives with Barça carrying maximum momentum, although Rodri does not expect the long break to destroy their rhythm. “It’s (the international break) very long as well,” he said. “But in the end we won’t lose rhythm because we’ll continue competing.” “Now we have the Nations League with the national team. Above all, the important thing is to keep in mind that these are important matches and then come back in the best possible shape.” Seven victories from seven naturally creates excitement, but Barça ’s ability to bounce back in the second half was perhaps more important. For a side chasing major trophies, that ability to solve difficult matches is more important than five-goal victories, and it remains to be seen how they fare after the break.