Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus were the names the Barcelona head coach wanted to talk about after Tuesday’s 4-1 Champions League win in Istanbul. Adeyemi scored the fourth goal, Jesus came off the bench and forced a late save, and Flick’s praise for the pair underlined how much the summer rebuild has given him in attack.
Barcelona went 1-0 down to a 28th-minute Aleksey Batrakov strike before João Cancelo levelled on the stroke of half-time, as the ESPN match report laid out. Fermín López headed the visitors in front from a Yamal corner in the 50th minute, Anthony Gordon added a third three minutes later from Yamal’s cross, and Adeyemi finished it off in the 65th minute.
Adeyemi: “very fast, good on the ball”
Signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer for a reported €22m, Adeyemi has been one of the clearest wins of Barcelona’s rebuild. His finish at RAMS Park was his latest contribution in that run of form.
“He is very fast, good on the ball and can score goals. I am very happy that he scored,” Flick said of the Germany forward.
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The head coach has repeatedly backed the forward since the move, telling reporters last month that Adeyemi “wasn’t going through a good time in Germany” and that the change had done him good. “I trust Karim 100% and I’m betting on him,” Flick added at that point.
Gabriel Jesus: “has more potential”
Gabriel Jesus did not score, but he did force Galatasaray goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır into a save in the 83rd minute after coming on as a substitute. The Brazilian joined from Arsenal on deadline day on 1 September for a reported €10m (about $11.6m) on a deal until 2029, after Barcelona had been unable to pry Julián Álvarez from Atlético Madrid.
Flick made clear he sees room for more.
“He is at a top level, but I think he can get even better. I am happy with him and value him highly, but he has more potential.”
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Yamal still runs the game
The Yamal angle has not gone anywhere. The 18-year-old did not get on the scoresheet in Istanbul but was named man of the match after setting up multiple goals from the right.
“He didn’t score today, but he provided the assists for three or four goals, and he is an incredible player who is very important to us,” Flick said.
He then widened the lens, which was the point of the evening for him.
“I am happy to have a player like him in my team, but ultimately, I have several players performing at a very high level.”
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Top of the table, PSG next
The win was Barcelona’s tenth in a row to start the season. Flick refused to be drawn on how far it could carry his side, telling the post-match press conference that “football can change very fast”.
Barcelona’s next Champions League fixture is away to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday 21 October.
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