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The Brazilian winger was upset at being substituted and made sure everyone knew it
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has acknowledged Raphinha’s apology for his on-field outburst in the UEFA Europa League fixture against Manchester United and is prepared to move on from the incident which he now sees as a positive reaction from the player.
Raphiha had scored and assisted for Barcelona in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United before being yanked off in the 83rd minute despite having one of his best games since joining the Catalan giants.
Xavi understands Raphinha’s desperation to play
However, Xavi was keen to point out that he had no reservations towards any players, least of all Raphinha, and that the Brazilian winger did not even need to apologise.
Speaking after the game, Xavi said, “I see and understand Raphinha's anger, I was also angry. I make the changes thinking about the team and not to point fingers at anyone.
“Raphinha has apologised to me but he didn't have to. I see it as positive that everyone wants to play”.
Xavi will be very conversant with Raphinha’s feelings after struggling for game time as a player in the earlier part of his Barcelona career and will understand the Brazilian’s hunger for more minutes, especially in a crucial match like the Manchester United tie.
He also would not want to alienate one of his most in-form Players, since Raphinha has directly contributed to five goals in his last five matches for Barcelona, including the goal and assist against Manchester United.
Raphinha just wants to play
Raphinha’s anger might have been exacerbated by the fact that his replacement was Ferran Torres, who has not contributed directly to a Barcelona goal since the UEFA Champions League group stages against Viktoria Plzen in November 2022.
Still, he has apologised for his outburst, and after the game said, "I've already apologised and I will do it again in training. I want to say sorry for my reaction after the change - it won't happen again.”
"I don't have any problem with Xavi or the club, I just wanted to be on the pitch".
Raphinha has worked hard to turn his first season with Barcelona around after a shaky start and has been one of the club’s most important players since the new year, scoring five goals and assisting five more in 12 appearances post-World Cup break.
With the injury to Ousmane Dembele, he has become the club’s most creative option on the wing and is enjoying his purple patch, no wonder he was so opposed to being taken off.
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