Barcelona begin on Saturday against Atlético Madrid an absolutely crucial stretch of games in La Liga and the Champions League over the next month, and they have to do it all without Raphinha as the Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury with Brazil and has been ruled out for at least five weeks.
It’s a massive blow given Raphinha’s form prior to the injury and the huge games Barça will face without him, but Hansi Flick was his usual positive self when speaking about the topic at a press conference
on Friday. Flick pointed at Marcus Rashford, Fermín López and Gavi as options to replace the Brazilian, and also shed light on why he decided to give Raphinha a few days off in Brazil before he begins his recovery.
“I’m happy with Marcus, he plays well. The last few weeks he’s had problems, he’s been injured, so it’s an opportunity for him. There are other options, Fermín, Gavi. I’m happy that Gavi is at a great level. We’ll see, there are more options.
“It’s normal. The players go with the national teams, the other players also have days off. It is not the first injury this season. I spoke with him, I saw him very low in spirits so I gave him a few days. He’s in good hands. It was my decision, so I let him go to Brazil for several days with his family. At this moment we decided something different.”
Flick shows his man-management skills here by realizing how deeply affected Raphinha was by the injury, and letting him travel far away to his homeland to recharge his batteries in a mental sense will help Raphinha regain his spirits before he starts yet another rehab process this season.
Replacing him won’t be easy, but Barça have a ton of quality options in midfield and attack and Flick is a good enough coach to find a way to thrive without such a crucial player.
