Las Palmas shocked Barcelona by defeating them 2-1 in their match on Saturday, which was part of the 15th round of the Spanish League.
This loss left Barcelona with 34 points at the top of the La Liga standings, 4 points ahead of Real Madrid, who still have two matches to play. If Real Madrid wins those games, they could surpass Barcelona.
According to Spanish newspaper “El Nacional,” Brazilian winger Rafinha, who has been in exceptional form for Barcelona this season, was deeply frustrated by the loss to Las Palmas and the team’s struggles in their last three La Liga matches.
Rafinha, considered one of Barcelona’s best performers this season, expressed dissatisfaction with goalkeeper Iñaki Peña’s recent performances and urged coach Xavi to drop him from the starting lineup. Rafinha views Peña as a potential liability to Barcelona’s season, despite the team’s strong start. He suggested bringing in Wojciech Szczęsny as a replacement, fearing that Peña’s continued presence could cost Barcelona their titles this season.
Additionally, while Rafinha greatly admires Robert Lewandowski, he criticized the striker for missing several easy opportunities that could change the outcome of matches. Rafinha called for coach Xavi to consider replacing Lewandowski when he’s not performing at his best, fearing that continuing with underperforming players could lead to wasted matches for the club.
