Barcelona forward Raphinha has openly criticized former coach Xavi Hernández regarding his limited playing time despite a successful season. Having joined from Leeds United in 2022, Raphinha played a pivotal role in securing the La Liga title in 2023 but frequently found himself benched or substituted prematurely. In a revealing interview, he shared feelings of frustration that the coaching staff lacked confidence in him, even after impactful performances. Despite attempts to address the situation with Xavi, he felt his prominence did not change, illustrating the fierce competition for the starting positions at Barcelona.
Raphinha revealed his anger at being underutilized by Xavi, feeling the coach never showed confidence in him, despite his impactful performances and LaLiga title win.
Raphinha recounted a frustrating moment when he was substituted after scoring and assisting, highlighting his impact and his disbelief at being the first player taken off.
Despite conversations with Xavi to improve the situation, Raphinha felt that his former coach was unyielding and chose alternatives over him without consideration.
Raphinha played 87 matches under Xavi, yet only completed 90 minutes in eight games, expressing his disappointment at not being favored despite his contributions.
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