The permission that Barça has given Raphinha to disconnect in Porto Alegre after getting injured with the canarinha is surprising because it deviates from the usual script. Although it is easy to empathize with the boy's emotional setback, it is very jarring that a player who has repeatedly torn his hamstring starts his recovery far from the Sports City. Especially if we consider that the medical services of the club that pays him have not yet been able to examine him.
It is true that in 2026 MRI images travel at the speed of light, but the Barça club is strictly relying on the information provided by the Brazilian Football Confederation. It is also strange that the treatments are not being administered by a Barça physiotherapist. The precedent that has been set is dangerous.
![Jules Kounde already trains partially with the group](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 16 9"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It is very easy to shoot at Raphinha and not focus on the decision-makers at Barça. The debatable need for the forward to sprint relentlessly in a friendly and the supposed lack of ability to listen to his body are arguments that have foundations in the current context, with the World Cup as a backdrop.
However, it would be unfair not to add to the burden of responsibilities the way things have been done to get to this point. It's raining on wet ground after the two relapses in the autumn and having wanted to run too much with the wrong complicities. Raphinha already complained internally about the physical preparation and the focus of his recovery, which led to changes in the re-trainers. And now this tug-of-war he is having again with Barça accentuates the distrust that accumulates in the locker room when it comes to working on muscles.
The big loser is Hansi
MacGyver Flick, who as usual this season will have to improvise in weeks when the team is playing for almost everything. But beyond thinking about replacements for the apple of his eye, he should also take a step forward in the chain of command to avoid situations like this in the future. Just when he is receiving pressure from all sides to renew until 2028, he should assert himself to gain weight in the management of everything that goes beyond the strict limits of the pitch.
This is not just about Raphinha's maturity or dealing with the hardships of FIFA's tolerated surreal calendar, it's also about the power that the Barça coach should demand to carry out his work without obstacles once and for all. It's about time.
