Despite the recent games having been heralded as a tall mountain to climb, Xavi’s Barcelona have done their job. The clash against FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League was seen as vital yet difficult to overcome, but alas Barcelona managed to get that victory.
Subsequently, the latest match against Atletico Madrid was also pitched up to be an extremely big ask for Xavi’s Barça. Yet again, however, they managed to exceed expectations and dominate Diego Simeone’s Atletico. Despite the latter arguably being the most in-form Spanish side, they succumbed to a revitalized Barcelona.
While the Joao Felix goal is what most people will recall that match by, another performance was also quite memorable. Raphinha, Barça’s 26-year-old Brazilian winger, had quite the performance as well. With 77 minutes of great play, Raphinha was substituted with a crucial assist to his name.
However, early alarm bells began to ring when Raphinha was not spotted during the latest training session. Despite understandable concern, Mundo Deportivo reports that the reasoning behind it is not too concerning.
The reality behind his absence is primarily overloading and fatigue. Given the tight schedule of both club games and appearances for Brazil, Raphinha simply needed rest. With the club’s discretion, the player was allowed to take an off day from training.
However, Raphinha was not the only one. Danish defender Andreas Christensen was also absent from the recent training session. His reason, however, is much more of a personal one. Expected a second child soon, the player requested some time away and has been granted it.
Neither of the two key players are expected to miss the clash against Girona on Sunday. A crucial fixture, Xavi Hernandez will undoubtedly want his team to be at their best possible level. Michel’s side is quite formidable, but it will be a true test of where exactly Xavi’s Barcelona stands.
