Raphinha the difference maker between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid
Barcelona: If FC Barcelona is sitting now right at the top of the table comfortably maintaining a 9-point lead over their eternal rivals Real Madrid one of the key differences for this has been the emergence of Raphinha who has been one of the difference makers between these two sides.
Initial struggles for the Brazillian
The Brazillian arrived at Camp Nou from Leeds united in a staggering deal worth between €36.2M and €60.3M so the expectations were very high from the winger who impressed at Leeds and took them to promotion as well.
He initially played on the Left-wing as the right wing was occupied by Frenchman Ousmane Dembele which made him totally uncomfortable and he couldn’t give his best.
Initially, as with many players, he struggled to adapt to the Barca style of game and his first few games were not good enough according to many in UCL he was totally out of shape because it was completely a new field of gameplay and lost his place to Ousmane Dembele who too has reemerged in Xavi Hernandez’s Barca.
The Injury to Dembele: A blessing in disguise?
Then came the injury to Ousmane Dembele and this meant that the Right-wing was vacant Raphinha got the position he always wanted and since then he has been thriving at Camp Nou.
His goal against Valencia was the winner and also tied him for the most headed goals in La Liga this season, as per OptaJose. The likes of Vedat Muriqi, Joselu Mato, and Eder Militao are all specialists in the air, while Chimy Avila also has three goals. Raphinha needed the least amount of attempts, converting three of his five.
MD also highlights the fact that Raphinha created the most chances for Barcelona(4), and had the most shots (3), as well as the goal. After Jules Kounde and Andreas Christensen (74), the Brazilian had the most interventions in the match (72).
His persistence is making a difference for the Blaugrana. Scoring 5 times in La Liga and assisting 4, his goal contributions have been decisive in 5 games. Taking them away would leave Barcelona with 10 fewer points in La Liga this season, putting them a point behind their rivals in this hypothetical.
El Clasico’s Upcoming
With the major hype surrounding the EL Clasico as this game will virtually seal the title for the Catalans, it is important that Barca play with a full-strength squad and Raphinha shines in them as he can have a major impact in the game with not one but two clasicos upcoming.
But before that FC Barcelona must travel to San Mames to face Athletic Bilbao in an important game ahead for the league leaders.
