Although Barcelona is currently in a period of brilliance, with remarkable results in recent months, such as remaining unbeaten so far in 2025, Hans-Dieter Flick is facing some concerns about a number of his players. He cannot hide his worries about the accumulated playing time of some key players such as Pedri González, Lamine Yamal, and Jules Koundé.
According to information from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional,” the player who is causing Flick the biggest headache at the moment is Raphinha Dias. The Brazilian winger’s performance has significantly declined in recent matches, and he has become indistinguishable from the high level he showed in the early months of the season, a level that made him one of the leading contenders for the Ballon d’Or. However, everything has changed drastically since then.
Raphinha has completely disappeared in recent matches and claimed that the reason for his decline in form is exhaustion. He missed the games against Girona and Osasuna, then returned against Atlético Madrid, but he didn’t meet expectations. In subsequent matches, he started again as a substitute against Betis. It is clear that he is dealing with some issues, despite attempts by the Camp Nou team to downplay them.
Joan Laporta and Deco didn’t seem concerned, as they believe this dip in form is natural and that Raphinha will soon return to his best form and resume performing as everyone knows him. However, Flick is not entirely sure about that. The impressions left by the player in recent training sessions and matches have not been encouraging, which led him to have a meeting with Raphinha.
Raphinha spoke with Flick for more than two hours, with the coach wanting to understand if there were any off-field issues affecting his performance. Flick needs Raphinha to be at his best during this crucial period of the season, as Barcelona relies on their Brazilian winger to be at his peak to help achieve the team’s objectives.