In the world of soccer, everything can change from one season to the next. On a collective level, in just 365 days, Barça has gone from being a sea of doubts to becoming a winning team with a project for the future. On an individual level, to give an example, Raphinha has gone from being a player heavily questioned by the culé fans to establishing himself as one of the squad's essential pieces. Focusing on the Brazilian striker, his numbers have been truly remarkable: 34 goals scored and 23 assists provided in 57 matches, making him the Barça footballer with the most minutes played, even ahead of Pedri. With these figures, it's clear that the best version of the former Leeds player has shown up, and let's hope he's here to stay.
However, despite the great performance delivered by the Porto Alegre native, Deco and Flick are already scanning the market in search of a top-level left winger. Luis Díaz is being mentioned, a signing that's practically unattainable due to his price, and Marcus Rashford, a somewhat more feasible arrival. No matter how much some defend the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" philosophy, it's clear that Barça lack imbalance up front. Only Lamine Yamal is capable of taking on and getting past his marker; the rest of the squad's strikers don't have the ease or quality for dribbling, and that shortcoming must be addressed in the coming months. But it's still curious that a standout season from Raphinha, which could even put him in the running for the Ballon d'Or, hasn't been enough for him to become an undisputed starter in the culé front three for next season.
Here's the question. How will Flick fit the Brazilian into next season's starting eleven? If the winger who lands in Barcelona brings the offensive imbalance the team needs, that area of the field will have a clear owner. Lamine's side is off-limits to anyone but the Rocafonda native. As a number nine, Raphinha can't compete with Lewy and Ferran Torres. The option would remain for him to play as an interior midfielder in the 4-3-3, a position where he already had minutes at the start of last season. Or as an attacking midfielder in the 4-2-3-1, where he'd have to compete for a starting spot with Fermín and Dani Olmo, who are more experienced than him in that role. The equation to fit the Brazilian international into the starting line-up doesn't seem clear at all as of today.
In any case, for Flick, this situation is what we usually call a "good problem." Having trouble fitting quality footballers into your line-up because you have too many is something to be very happy about. Even more so coming from a year when the squad was excessively short. If a winger with dribbling skills finally arrives and Raphinha is left out of the left wing, the German coach will find a solution so the former Leeds player has the same specific weight in the group as he showed last season. After all, the Brazilian deserves it after a colossal year. The question is there, and finding the answer will be a challenge for Hansi.