Barcelona relieved after Raphinha not risked in Brazil’s World Cup loss vs Norway | OneFootball

According to Javi Miguel of AS, FC Barcelona have been left relieved following Carlo Ancelotti’s decision not to use Raphinha during Brazil’s World Cup Round of 16 defeat to Norway, despite the Seleçao chasing the game.

Brazil’s tournament came to a disappointing end on Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Norway, eliminating them in the last 16.

For Raphinha, it was an especially frustrating conclusion. After suffering an injury during Brazil’s second group-stage match against Haiti, he was unable to make a meaningful contribution for the remainder of the competition.

The injury was a major concern. After all, Raphinha had sustained a tear in the biceps femoris of his right leg, the very same muscle injury that forced him to miss this season’s first Clasico and one that had already resulted in two separate relapses during the campaign.

Barcelona were closely monitoring Raphinha’s recovery

Given that history, Barcelona watched the winger’s rehabilitation with considerable caution. Inside the club there was an awareness that Raphinha was determined to push himself and was prepared to take risks if Ancelotti needed him.

Raphinha did not feature against Norway. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

The Brazilian Football Confederation’s medical staff declared the forward fit just 15 days after the injury, accepting what Barça considered to be a very high level of risk.

Barcelona believed Raphinha had not fully recovered and that, under normal circumstances, he would still have required approximately two additional weeks before returning safely to competitive action.

Nevertheless, the player was unwilling to abandon his teammates during the World Cup and agreed to be included in the squad after discussing the situation with the national team coach.

Ancelotti refused to take the risk

Despite being available on paper, Raphinha remained on the bench throughout the match.

Even when Brazil found themselves trailing 2-0 with just ten minutes remaining, Ancelotti resisted the temptation to introduce the Barcelona winger.

Ancelotti did not risk Raphinha. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

The Italian coach chose not to gamble with a player who had only recently recovered from a delicate muscular injury.

From Barcelona’s perspective, that decision was greatly appreciated.

Within the club there was a strong feeling that forcing Raphinha back into action under those circumstances could easily have resulted in another relapse, potentially leading to a far more serious injury with unpredictable consequences.

Time to recover before pre-season

With Brazil now eliminated from the World Cup, Raphinha will have more than three weeks before returning to Barcelona.

The club believes that period should be more than sufficient for the winger to complete his recovery and arrive for pre-season in full physical condition.

Provided there are no changes to the schedule, Raphinha is expected to rejoin Barcelona on 27 July, when he will travel with the rest of the squad to the club’s pre-season training camp in England.