Flick praises Olmo after impressive home debut

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has extolled new signing Dani Olmo after the Spaniard propelled the Blaugrana giants to a 7-0 hammering of Real Valladolid on Saturday.

It was the first time in over a decade which Barca achieved such a result in La Liga after defeating Osasuna in March 2014, with the result putting smiles on the faces of fans and the squad.

A hat-trick from Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Ferran Torres, and Olmo himself were all Barca need to announce themselves as contenders for this season’s title race – which they last won two seasons ago.

The former RB Leipzig midfielder could have scored more than one goal, having put the ball into the net early on, but was disallowed for offside and crashed two balls against the post.

Olmo, who was Barca’s only signing this summer – after Pau Victor, exhibited his rapid adaptation to Barcelona’s locker room, and he delivered immediate results in his first home start for Hansi Flick’s side.

The impressive display of the 26-year-old necessitated his new boss to shower praises on the La Masia graduate.

“I know Dani Olmo very well. He is a fantastic player. He is incredible in midfield. What he does with Pedri gives us a great balance. We need them both for the transition from defense to attack.” Flick said after the game. 

While Olmo showed strong chemistry alongside Pedri on Saturday, he was also in tandem with Robert Lewandowski, and it is why his partnership with Pedri helped get the best of the Poland international, who notched Barca’s second goal on Saturday.

Barcelona will return after the international break to face Girona in La Liga before a UEFA Champions League clash with Monaco and another away trip to Villarreal. The Blaugrana stays at the top of La Liga with four wins from four games.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid won Real Betis 2-0 with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice.