Barcelona’s Karim Adeyemi shows speed but lacks precision on debut as Hansi Flick calls for more

Karim Adeyemi’s Barcelona debut against Birmingham offered a glimpse of his pace and attacking intent, but Hansi Flick is still waiting to see the Germany international at his best.

Adeyemi started his first match in a Barcelona shirt by displaying his explosive running and attempting his first diagonal passes for the club. However, his opening 45 minutes produced brief flashes of promise rather than a sustained performance, with speed often outweighing precision.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Adeyemi’s limited training time was evident. Fatigue may also have influenced his decision-making, particularly during transitions, when he sometimes selected the wrong pass or accelerated the play when patience was required. He also found it difficult to finish some of the opportunities that came his way.

Flick does not expect the forward to reach his full level immediately. Adeyemi needs more time, but the Barcelona manager has already identified the areas in which he wants the player to improve.

“He has much greater potential than he showed. In training, I have seen a better Karim,” Flick said.

The performance was therefore more an indication of Adeyemi’s intentions than a definitive statement of his ability. He showed that he possesses the pace to threaten opponents, the personality to demand the ball and the desire to influence the match from the wing.

Yet his first appearance was also marked by inaccuracy and haste. His willingness to make things happen was clear, but several of his decisions lacked the control needed to turn promising situations into clear chances.

That is not a major concern for Flick at this stage of pre-season. Adeyemi has only been training with the squad for a short period, and the German coach is not in doubt about what his new player can eventually offer Barcelona.

Flick expects Adeyemi to provide greater depth and intensity to the team, while also creating competition for places and supplying a decisive threat from the wide areas. Those qualities remain central to the expectations surrounding the Germany international, even though they were only partially visible against Birmingham.

For now, Adeyemi’s first outing has served as an early signal of what he wants to bring to Barcelona rather than proof that he has already reached the required standard. His acceleration and confidence in asking for possession stood out, while his execution and judgement showed why he still needs time to adapt.

The full version of Adeyemi remains to be seen. Flick, however, has already made clear what the player must work on after his debut: improving his decision-making, adding accuracy to his attacking play and learning when to slow the game down instead of relying solely on his pace.