Barcelona went top of La Liga over the weekend.
The Blaugrana claimed a 3-1 win over Alaves on Saturday, while league leaders Real Madrid could only muster a 1-1 draw with Girona. With speculation rife over Xabi Alonso’s future at the Bernabeu, Barcelona can pile the pressure on Los Blancos with another three points in midweek.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Owing to their Supercopa de Espana participation in January, Barcelona host Atletico Madrid tonight. Real Madrid, meanwhile, face Athletic Club on Wednesday. It’s the perfect opportunity for the defending champions to open up a four-point lead over their rivals.
Of course, Atletico are no pushovers. Diego Simeone’s side have won six on the spin. They’re unbeaten in 13 having recovered well from their opening weekend 2-1 loss at Espanyol. Victory at Spotify Camp Nou would see them go level with Barcelona. However, Hansi Flick recently received a welcome boost ahead of the monster midweek clash.
Raphinha return a boost for Barca
Raphinha marked his first start in two months with an assist against Alaves on Saturday. The Brazilian suffered a thigh injury against Real Oviedo back in September. As such, Barcelona were robbed of a key man. Slowly, though, Raphinha has been rebuilding his fitness, and now he’s back to improve Barcelona’s title chances.
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Despite limited game time in La Liga due to injury, the Brazil international has scored three goals and provided an additional three assists. To be fair to Barcelona, Marcus Rashford has proven a handy deputy, yet Flick can finally call upon the attacking triumvirate that guided the Spanish giants to domestic glory last season.
“Raphinha is a player who gives us dynamism in our play. We’ve missed him, and for me, he’s important because he brings a lot of intensity,” Flick said of Raphinha after the win over Alaves. The German boss is right to mention Raphinha’s intensity. This aspect to his game key in the way Barcelona play.
Brazilian’s work rate key for the champions
Flick implements a high defensive line, meaning the forward players need to work hard off the ball to ease pressure on the defence. This element to Raphinha’s game is essential, especially when compared to Rashford. Indeed, Raphinha ranks better for both tackles (1 to 0.5) and ball recoveries per 90 (3 to 2.3) than Rashford. This desire to force opposition turnovers in the final third helps present chances for the Barcelona forwards to exploit.
This ultimately grants Raphinha with the opportunity to pick out the chances of teammates. It’s no surprise that the Brazil international ranks higher for chances created per 90 than Rashford (3.2 to 2.6). That’s not to say that Raphinha is in infinitely better player than Rashford. Rather, that the duo offer attacking alternatives for Flick.
It’s this lack of flexibility that has limited Flick, especially during Lamine Yamal’s respective spells on the sidelines. Rashford brings more directness and drive to get into the box to provide an additional goalscoring threat for Flick. The on-loan forward is, after all, averaging more touches in the opposition box per 90 than Raphinha (7.7 to 6.4).
What’s more, Rashford boasts a better shot accuracy than his Barcelona teammate (56% to 33.33%). The attacking variety will prove a huge benefit for Flick as Barca look to pip rivals Real Madrid to first. Importantly, too, it’ll aid Barcelona’s chances of claiming a vital victory over Atletico in midweek.
Raphinha’s importance in Barcelona’s midweek meeting with Atleti
Los Colchoneros have once again been the toughest team to break down in La Liga this season. Simeone’s side have conceded fewer goals (11) than any other team in Spain’s top tier this term. No team has kept more clean sheets (6), while only Barcelona (9) are conceding more shots per 90 than Atleti (9.4).
Their dogged determination means they’ll again prove a tough nut to crack in midweek. However, Flick has a number of attacking options that’ll increase Barcelona’s chances of earning a huge three points. It’s this variation between Raphinha and Rashford on the left that means Barcelona can hurt Atletico in a number of ways.
Atleti themselves are being dispossessed 7.2 times per 90 in La Liga this season, which is relatively high for a side that boasts a possession average of 54.6%. And with Raphinha bringing the intensity that Flick spoke of at the weekend, the Brazil international’s high work rate will be crucial as Barcelona seek to extend their lead at the top of the table.