3 Reasons why Raphinha Is not a flop at Barcelona
When Raphinha signed for Barcelona, it was a surreal moment for the fans and the player himself. The Brazilian was Leeds United's best player at the time and had an excellent season last term in the Premier League, saving them from relegation on the last day.
Everything indicated that he could even usurp Ousmane Dembele and become a starting player for the Blaugrana. Culers are understandably not particularly happy with Raphinha's showings, but this does not mean that he is a flop.
The bulk of the pressure has largely come from his lack of goals and dribbling like Dembele, but his stats this season tell an interesting story.
.@sergidejuan9: "Raphinha will not make it easy for Dembélé to become the undisputed starter in the right wing once he comes back. Their competition will be very interesting." https://t.co/4e7eXHdjni
Barcelona have been superb in their La Liga campaign this season. However, struggles in European competitions have been the subject of much scrutiny and criticism from fans and pundits alike.
This has caused them to point fingers at some players, including Raphinha, as the cause of the underwhelming results.
Here are three reasons why Raphinha is not a flop at Barcelona.
#1 Raphinha is a team player
Most natural wingers would focus heavily on the attacking play of their team, trying to score a goal or deliver an assist. With Raphinha being a part of the attack and also helping out the defense, he is an invaluable asset to the team. One of the things that makes the Brazilian stand out is his commitment every time he is on the pitch.
Raphinha is the player with the second most big chances created this season in La Liga (11), only behind Griezmann (13). https://t.co/Sx4OMwYkIA
He may not be very fast and break away from defenders like Ousmane Dembele, but he sure knows how to drop deep and try to win back balls. He delivers key passes and is always looking to pick out a teammate who is free.
This has so far been seen in his gameplay this season and has contributed to the superb defensive record that Barcelona have.
#2 Top assister for Barcelona
One thing we all know about football is that it is easier to score than to assist a goal, hence the reason why there are always less assists than goals within a team. Raphinha has been excellent in the assists department and leads the way for Barcelona with nine across all competitions.
Considering this is his first season for Barca, he is adapting pretty decently for a team that Dembele has found difficult to adapt to.
| Raphinha is responsible for 17 goals this season (8 goals & 9 assists). #fcblive 
📊| Raphinha is responsible for 17 goals this season (8 goals & 9 assists). #fcblive 🇧🇷 https://t.co/TG9HxhnthX
Given a few more games and his undeniable skill, the Brazilian may well hit double figures in goals and assists for Barcelona this season. His current tally stands at eight goals and nine assists in 36 games across competitions.
#3 Decisive and resolute
Raphinha has been one of Barcelona’s most decisive players this season. In seven of the games he has appeared in, his goals and assists have helped Barcelona win games or at least salvage a point.
This trend can be seen in Barcelona’s two league matches against Valencia. The Brazil international provided the only assist in the first game and scored the only goal in the second game. Against Manchester United in the Europa League first leg, he scored and assisted a goal, contributing two goals to help Barca to a 2-2 draw.
He also scored the only goal to seal the win against Getafe in La Liga. His goals made the difference against Real Betis and Osasuna in the league as well.