Former Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has had his say on the team’s Champions League defeat to Atletico and feels the game showed how Hansi Flick’s side are too reliant on Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.
Raphinha is currently sidelined through injury and is being missed by the Catalans, while Yamal continues to impress in the starting XI but can’t do it all by himself.
With Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski struggling for goals currently, Koeman feels that Yamal needs more help in attack and believes Raphinha
is being badly missed.
“Right now, the whole system seems to depend too heavily on Raphinha and Lamine Yamal. When these two aren’t fully involved or at their best, the team loses creativity, rhythm, and confidence.
“Today, I felt Rashford was the only player who really tried to support Yamal and create danger in attack. But at this level, it’s not enough; you need more players who take responsibility.
“And, honestly, it’s sad to see Barcelona lose like this at home. This stadium used to be a place where opponents suffered. Now, teams come here believing they can win, and that’s a big problem.”
Barcelona will have to cope without Raphinha for a little while longer, as he’s not expected to return to action until next month.
