Pau Cubarsi says Rodri can take Barcelona “to another level” after the Spain midfielder made his first appearance for the club in Thursday’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
The Barcelona centre-back praised his new team-mate’s performance and said Rodri had quickly demonstrated how well he fits the Catalan side’s style of play.
“Rodri is the typical Barcelona defensive midfielder,” Cubarsi said in comments published by Tribuna.
“We have Marc Bernal and Gavi, who can also play in this position and have had great seasons, but Rodri can take us to another level, whether that is through competing with his team-mates, motivating us or taking on a leadership role within the team.”
Rodri’s first appearance for Barcelona came on the same day as the draw for the league phase of the Champions League.
Barcelona will play Manchester City, Aston Villa, Feyenoord and Como at home. Their away fixtures will be against Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, Galatasaray and Sabah FC.
The draw presents Barcelona with a demanding European schedule, including meetings with Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. However, Cubarsi insisted that the squad remains fully confident in its ability to compete against any opponent.
“We had a quick look at the draw, but we did not focus on it too much because our attention was on the Athletic Bilbao match,” he said.
Barcelona will now examine the fixture list in greater detail, but Cubarsi said the team would approach every match without fear.
“Now we will look at the draw in more detail, but we are not afraid of anyone. We are Barcelona, the best club in the world, and we will go to any stadium away from home, or welcome any team that comes here, in order to put on a great performance,” he added.
The victory over Athletic Bilbao gave Barcelona a positive result as they began preparing for the challenges ahead in Europe. Rodri’s involvement also offered the club an early indication of the contribution Cubarsi believes he can make, both in midfield and inside the dressing room.
The Champions League league phase will therefore bring Barcelona up against a mixture of familiar elite opposition and clubs from across Europe, with the team due to host four of its opponents and travel to four others.
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