The reasons for Raphinha being unexpectedly dropped by Barcelona for their La Liga clash with Valencia have been revealed. Hansi Flick removed the Brazilian forward from his starting XI, with the South American – who fills the captain’s armband for the Blaugrana – being punished for off-field misdemeanours that left his demanding German coach frustrated.
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Teen sensation handed full debut
Raphinha did go on to figure prominently against Valencia, as he bagged a brace in a crushing 6-0 win. That impact did, however, have to be made from off the bench. Teen sensation Roony Bardghji was handed his full debut against Los Che in his place.
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Barcelona hit Valencia for six
Raphinha replaced the youngster at half-time, with Barca leading by one goal at that point, and scored twice in the space of nine second-half minutes as Fermin Lopez and Robert Lewandowski also netted two efforts apiece.
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Why Raphinha was benched by Barcelona
According to , Raphinha was included among the substitutes “because he was late to a pre-game muscle activation session on Sunday morning”. He had started Barca’s three previous La Liga fixtures this season, all while wearing the armband.
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Others that fell foul of Flick's strict rules
He is not the first player to fall foul of Flick’s strict timekeeping rules. Jules Kounde was taken out of Barca’s starting line-up on three occasions last season after being late to pre-match meetings, while goalkeeper Inaki Pena missed out on a Super Cup clash with Athletic Club after breaching the same policy.