Barcelona finds itself in a chaotic situation. The club recently crashed out of the Champions League. Bayern Munich hammered the club in its own backyard with a score line of 3-0. This led to the Spanish newspapers, fans, and even some at the board questioning the involvement of two of its forwards. The performance of Raphinha and Memphis Depay is increasingly infuriating Barcelona management.
Barcelona has doubts about Raphinha
Sport reports that several FC Barcelona board members are dissatisfied with Depay and Raphinha’s demeanor.
The Dutch player’s recovery from a hamstring injury has taken longer than anticipated. Some people inside the club believe he is more focused on the World Cup than the Barça schedule. Everyone is aware of the impending World Cup and the significant likelihood of the recurrence of muscle injuries.
There have also been internal shocks over Raphinha losing his starting berth in Xavi’s lineups. Raphinha has lost his place due to a drop in form. The Brazilian had just 16 minutes against Villarreal and 33 minutes against Bayern. Against Athletic, he remained on the bench.
Raphinha, a former Leeds United star, took the brunt of the harsh words of the Spanish press when Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League group stages. The La Liga team will spend the second half of the season in the Europa League.
The Spanish publication La Vanguardia gave the Brazilian the joint-worst grade. Raphinha and former Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin each received a score of three for their efforts against Bayern Munich. The Brazilian international who replaced Pedri for the final 32 minutes of play, was harshly criticized in the Spanish press’ player evaluations.
As pressure mounts, the former Leeds United winger will need to elevate his game in the upcoming weeks. His game-winning looping assists for Lewandowski might take the pressure off for a bit and remind Xavi of the quality he possesses.
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