da bet7k： There is certainly a feeling of uneasiness over at the Catalan capital. Injuries have cut through the Barcelona squad, leaving their forward line with only Antoine Griezmann fit from all those star names.
da brwin： Lionel Messi is on his way to recovery but not there just yet, Luis Suarez has picked up an injury in Barcelona’s curtain-raiser against Athletic Bilbao, one they also lost for the first time in a whole decade, and now Ousmane Dembele also joined them in the stands as the young Frenchman has been ruled out for five weeks.
It’s safe to say that the Blaugrana quickly went from a too crowded forward line to an extremely thin one. This becomes even more evident when we take into account that both Malcom and Philippe Coutinho are no longer part of the squad.
That leaves Barcelona with the aforementioned Griezmann, the newly arrived signing from Atletico Madrid, and some youngsters like Abel Ruiz or Carles Perez to compensate for all those missing “Galacticos”.
But there’s also one other name. A name that’s almost completely forgotten in Barcelona’s ranks and one that is, unfortunately, so often only used in a rather negative sense. Of course, we’re talking about the third Brazilian in question, Rafinha Alcantara.
Rafinha has been a part of Barcelona, since his early days as a footballer. A student of the Blaugrana through and through but one so badly ridden with injuries and just pure bad luck that he has somehow always slipped under the radar.
And this was the exact reason he spent time on loan in Italy, at Inter, and not fighting for his spot in Catalonia – he was too unreliable and Barcelona were probably just hoping someone would decide to take him off their hands. It was clear that next to those huge new signings piling up at the club, there would be no place for an injury-prone Brazilian who was reduced to cameo appearances more than anything else.
And sure enough, this summer was looking to be exactly the same. Valencia were mentioned among some other clubs once again but one thing that seemed to be missing from the conversation was Rafinha’s possible stay at the club of his youth. Until now, that is.
The outcast could now become the hero and the stage has certainly been set to look exactly that way. All the big guns up front are injured and unavailable and Rafinha, for once, is not in that gang that will be gazing at the pitch from the stands. Now is his time to shine and judging by the performances he mustered in pre-season and his valiant efforts at San Mames against Athletic Bilbao, he’s ready and out to prove a point.
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Ironically, he’s surely not the only one who should be proving a point to the coach, himself and the team as a whole since they all looked rather shaky during their big curtain-raiser but that’s a story for another time.
What matters is that Rafinha was everywhere; dropping deep, making runs, creating passing channels, pulling away markers and also being the most dangerous Barcelona player on the pitch, hitting the post once and just missing his target from a ranged shot. He also mustered four shots in total and three key passes during that match.
If Barcelona were to score on that night, there was a great chance it would have been Rafinha or no one else. It’s as simple as that.
And the best thing is, no one is expecting this “hidden weapon” to simply emerge from the ranks and take the stage by storm. And who can blame them? He’s been an unknown variable to his own team, let alone to the opposition.
But the questions still remain, can he sustain this form now that his team needs him the most? Can he stay fit amidst all other players seemingly dropping like flies one after the other? And finally, is Ernesto Valverde going to put his trust into Rafinha or will he alter his tactics in order to avoid such a risky move?
One way or the other, the Ant might not have much of a choice. With all of those injuries and a bad start to the season, Barcelona just might be sounding all the alarms already.
The best thing now would be to wrap Rafinha in a bubble, remove all sharp objects from his house, restrict his movement as much as possible and pray he doesn’t shatter himself in his sleep. Jokes aside, it is extremely important that he stays fit right now.
Both for the club and his career at it as well. If there ever was a time when Rafinha’s name would be called out, it seems to be now.
It’s time he finally answers it and shows the world what kind of a player he truly is.
Barcelona’s point of attack might be blunted just a bit but luckily, they still have a secret weapon hidden away from the spotlight; an extra ace in the sleeve. Will they use it this time? Let’s hope they do, for their own sake.
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