Rodri has been a revelation at Barcelona since he arrived in the summer from Manchester City. He’s already cemented himself as one of the first names on the team sheet, although he did not have the easiest start to life in Catalonia.
For much of the summer, Rodri had looked like joining Real Madrid, but once Barcelona came to the table, he prioritised a move to the reigning La Liga champions. He considered it the best move for him in a sporting sense, although his first few days at the club were not what he expected, as he revealed during an interview with Cadena Cope (via [MD](https://www.mundodeportivo.com/futbol/fc-barcelona/20260924/1004230706/rodri-desvela-palizas-fisicas-flick-me-he-metido.html)). He was taken aback by the intensity of Hansi Flick’s training sessions, which were in stark contrast to what he was used to under Pep Guardiola.
**“They are nothing alike. As soon as I arrived, I thought I was coming to Barça for rondos and possession drills, but the truth is that the first four days they gave me such a physical beating that I said, ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ I was surprised. Pep was more of the philosophy that playing matches gives you the rhythm. Hansi is something else, and those of us who arrives later in the summer got a hard time.”**
Flick’s gruelling methods certainly work for Barcelona, who have been flawless at the start of the season. In terms of distance covered, the Catalans are second in La Liga, and while Rodri believes he and his teammates can improve in this regard, he believes there is a link between this and their successes of the last few weeks.
**“Well, we have room for improvement there. I think modern football is directly linked to the teams that run the most, but you have to run efficiently and in the right way. It’s linked: if you run, you have more options.”**