'Like they're playing a different sport' — Diego Simeone blown away by Barcelona as Raphinha and Lamine Yamal light up La Liga
Atlético Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has delivered an extraordinary verdict on Barcelona's start to the new campaign, admitting that Hansi Flick's leaders look as if they are playing "a completely different sport" from the rest of La Liga.
Simeone, who was speaking to ESPN shortly after watching his own side claim a 2-1 win over Real Madrid on Sunday, made no attempt to hide his admiration for a Barcelona team that has opened up a five-point lead over Atlético at the top of the table after a perfect start to the defence of their title.
"Honestly, they play amazingly well. It's like they're playing a different sport — a sport completely different from the one we play," Simeone told ESPN.
The veteran Argentine coach was particularly taken by the numbers being posted by Flick's attack, which has flourished even without a conventional centre-forward, with Raphinha's remarkable scoring run filling the void up front.
"They didn't really have a number nine, but then Raphinha stepped up, and he's got 12 goals in seven games. I think Lamine Yamal has seven, if I'm not mistaken," Simeone continued. "The numbers are incredible."
"They press you high up the pitch, they close down your time on the ball, and they aren't afraid to take risks — even if it means conceding — because it seems like conceding a goal just makes them even more dangerous, since they're simply the better side," he added.
Conceding goals, Simeone suggested, only seems to sharpen Barcelona's threat — a hallmark of the fearless, front-foot approach that has defined their early-season dominance under Flick.
And the Atlético boss was left in little doubt about where the balance of power currently sits in Spain's top flight.
"Right now, they are the best team in the league, based on what they are showing," Simeone concluded.
Raphinha topping the Pichichi charts
Barcelona have certainly begun the defence of their title in impressive fashion, and Raphinha is also topping the scoring charts in La Liga. The Brazilian is five goals clear of Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Camello in the race for the Pichichi, with his 12-goal haul underlining exactly why Simeone singled him out for such high praise.
With Raphinha on 12 goals and Lamine Yamal on seven, Barcelona's wide players have carried the scoring burden in the absence of a traditional number nine — and the rest of the league, if Simeone is to be believed, are currently playing a different sport altogether.