Raphinha Dias endured a difficult evening in Barcelona’s clash with Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas, delivering a performance well below his usual standards. Despite his trademark work rate, the Brazilian struggled to influence the game and was eventually substituted by Hans-Dieter Flick.
Crucially, his dip wasn’t down to the pitch or teammates underperforming, but rather to structural issues on the opposite flank. Left-back Alejandro Balde failed to balance his defensive and attacking responsibilities, leaving gaps that forced Raphinha to drop deep and overexert himself defensively. That constant retreat drained his energy and blunted his impact in attack.
Raphinha reportedly urged Flick to address the situation, arguing that Balde’s lack of defensive discipline put unnecessary strain on the rest of the team and left goalkeeper Juan García exposed. He suggested that deploying a more conservative full-back, such as Gerard Martín, would free him to focus on his attacking duties without being dragged back into his own half.
Even so, Raphinha hasn’t written off Balde’s potential. He still believes the young Spaniard can become one of the world’s top left-backs, but insists his defensive awareness must improve. Without that adjustment, Barça risk repeating the Vallecas scenario — a match that left the side unbalanced and forced key attackers to compensate for defensive shortcomings.
