Since the winter window last year, Rafinha has successively had scandals with European giants. According to statistics, as many as 6 giants have entered Rafinha's famous list, including Bayern, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Barcelona. Heading into the summer, Rafinha's transfer rumours suddenly heated up, and although Barca are the top favourites, the player is also hoping to land at Camp Nou. But Arsenal and Chelsea suddenly raised their offers and the situation began to become unbalanced.
However, in the end, there was no surprise, due to the insistence of the players and Barca also followed up with the offer, Leeds United finally agreed to sell their forward "thigh".
Winning Rafinha, Barça fans can't wait to start dreaming of "two wings flying together". The main right winger of the Brazilian national team, coupled with Dembele, who has recovered under Xavi, Barca's attacking power on the two wings is no less than any giants on paper.
In the pre-season warm-up matches, Rafinha was in excellent form. Against Miami Internacional, he sent 2 passes and 1 shot; Against Real Madrid, Rafinha scored the only goal of the game; Beat Red Bull New York 2-0, Rafinha added one assist; Rafinha had a 6-0 win over the Cougars in the Gamble Cup, Dembele scored a goal and Lewandowski had two assists in the half, and Barca's new trident began to have positive chemistry. As a result, all Reds and Blues fans have begun to imagine that their home team can make a difference in the new season.
But sometimes dreams often fall short of reality, and once it was an official match, Rafinha began to get lost. So far, he has started nine times in 14 official matches, scoring just one goal and one assist. Eight of them were substituted midway. In the home game against Inter, Rafinha even smashed his shirt after being substituted. Maybe it's dissatisfaction with your performance, or it's a protest against your frequent replacement. But it has to be admitted that Rafinha has lost the demeanor he had before the start of the season, and his performance has seriously declined.
So what's the problem? Is it Rafinha's personal state or the tactical level? Truth be told, the main thing is the latter.
It is the lack of adaptation at the tactical level that leads to the decline of the player's form. The first thing we need to know is Rafinha's character and what kind of play he is suitable for.
Rafinha is fast and good at breaking through, able to cut inside and shoot inside, and is the "thigh" of the forward line at Leeds United and is the most threatening point of the team. But we can also see that Rafinha is a core of the weak team, needs to hold a lot of the ball, and his right side becomes Leeds United's main attack. In addition, Bielsa focused on the "shelling" tactic when he was in charge of Leeds United, and in this tactical system, Rafinha's speed came into play. In the high-speed run, Rafinha's dribbling and shooting skills are also well displayed.
But at Barca, Xavi plays passing, and many times plays positional battles, and Rafinha's speed advantage simply cannot be used. In addition, we know that Barca are very demanding of wingers. Like Messi is the top match, followed by Neymar, with a strong one-on-one ability, whether it is high speed or stationary, there is the ability to complete the breakthrough. And can pass and shoot, can single-handedly disrupt the opponent's defense. But Rafinha clearly does not have such breakthrough ability, his dribbling needs to start before it can be lethal, and his passing and shooting are actually not top-notch.
In addition, at Barcelona, the side where Rafinha is located has become a weak side. As a result, he went from controlling the ball during Leeds to having fewer opportunities to hold the ball and needing to add a lot of off-ball running. The decline in status requires Rafinia to adjust and adapt. If it can't be adjusted, then leaving the team is a high probability thing.
Returning to the Premier League is a good option, like Newcastle. With Saint-Maximan on the left and right, paired with an equally not slow Isaac in the middle, Newcastle's forward line will definitely be sharper. And returning to the Premier League can also maximize the preservation of value, depending on the extent of Barca's patience.