When it comes to being decisive, nobody has overperformed as much as Raphinha in recent years. With Raphinha sidelined by a right hamstring injury, Barcelona have sufferered a lot, especially in crucial matches. The Brazilian superstar picked up the injury while on international break with Brazil at the end of March, and is expected to be back only by early to mid-May.
Due to his injury, he has not been available in crucial matches like the first game against Atletico and will definitely miss the 2nd leg on Wednesday as well. He might just make the final matches of La Liga or a possible Champions League semi-final if Barcelona manage to get there.
The unavailability of Raphinha is a major setback for Barcelona because of what he has been delivering in recent seasons. This season alone in 31 games, he has scored 19 goals and provided 8 assists.
But the real stat that tells the story is this:
Barcelona’s win rate with Raphinha on the pitch: 93%
Without him: just 58%
This stat is astonishing for any player, proving the importance of Raphinha in Barcelona’s success. He has been the most reliable attacker for Hansi Flick, scoring from all positions in decisive matches. He’s dangerous from set pieces, has a keen eye for good passes and very clinical when it matters the most. So, in his absence who can step up to replace him in high-stakes matches?
Hansi Flick only has a few realistic options:
Marcus Rashford looks like the most natural replacement. He’s already played the first leg in which his performance was certainly underwhelming, and this time in the follow-up match he has something to prove to all. He must use his speed on the break against Atletico’s deep defence. One thing from the first leg he has to improve on, is his final delivery.
Ferran Torres has been played on the left flank at times but his numbers have always come from the centre forward position. Coming off from a strong display against Espanyol, he'd expect to lead the line against Atletico. He has pace and can score, but he hasn’t been consistent enough this season with his final output.
Fermin Lopez has also played in the left flank but he hasn’t been played there enough to get the start on that position. He is an integral part of the team and he is most likely to be played as a number 10.
Not having Raphinha for the whole quarter-final tie is quite a setback, especially after going 0-2 down in the first encounter. However, the squad has shown that they have the ability to score important chances even in his absence. Now it’s about the rest of the players stepping up together instead of hoping one guy carries everything. Raphinha’s return in May can’t come soon enough, but for the next couple of weeks Barcelona are going to have to find a way to make it work without their superstar.