Barca's dream of a comeback is shattered.

After a stellar season, Barca gave fans worldwide the feeling of a great "resurrection." But in the end, it all remained just a "feeling."

Yamal (right) has declined significantly this season - Photo: REUTERS

Raphinha, one of Barca's two best superstars last season (along with Lamine Yamal), only played 28 minutes in the 0-3 defeat against Chelsea. However brilliant Raphinha was last season, this season, Barca's "angelic wings" have become a symbol of failure.

Due to a serious injury, Raphinha has only played 9 games for Barca this season, with 6 starts. The last time the Brazilian forward started was even two months ago.

Raphinha is not to blame. But Raphinha's persistent injuries partly reflect a problem at Barca. Last season, they exploited him by playing 57 matches in all competitions, or more specifically, 4,661 minutes of non-stop playing time. The inevitable consequence is that Raphinha is exhausted by the summer.

Raphinha wasn't the only star player to be exhausted. Pedri had to play 59 matches, and Yamal played 55. More importantly, they lacked suitable substitutes. In many matches, coach Hansi Flick kept Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri on the field even when they were completely worn out.

It's hard to blame the German strategist, as he even had to call up nearly 10 players from La Masia's youth team as "reinforcements" last season. The financial crisis from the time of former President Josip Bartomeu has deprived Barca of the ability to buy star players in the transfer market for the past 3-4 years.

Even this summer, Barca spent almost nothing on the transfer market. They only bought goalkeeper Joao Garcia for 25 million euros, and recouped almost the same amount by selling off a number of players.

Financial exhaustion led to exhaustion. Raphinha has been plagued by injuries since the start of the season and will likely not regain his best form until mid-season. Both Yamal and Pedri have declined, Gavi is seriously injured, and Barca has lost the vibrant energy of a young team.

Ultimately, in the golden generation initiated by coach Pep Guardiola, Barca also had Mascherano, Daniel Alves, Samuel Eto'o, and David Villa - stars they continuously added after each transfer window, alongside the homegrown stars from La Masia.

The current Barcelona team is still a long way from what it was in those years.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/barca-vo-mong-phuc-sinh-20251127102014692.htm