Barcelona were expected to struggle without Raphinha after the club captain suffered an injury while on international duty with Brazil.
However, the Brazilian superstar’s recent absence has brought an unexpected positive: Hansi Flick’s team have become even less dependent on individual goalscorers.
According to Diario SPORT, five Barcelona players opened their goalscoring accounts across three matches in which Raphinha was either unavailable or absent from the starting line-up.
Five players step up in Raphinha’s absence
Raphinha remains Barcelona’s leading goalscorer this season with 14 goals, but an injury sustained during the international break forced him to miss two matches.
The Brazilian returned against Real Betis on Saturday, playing just 20 minutes as Barcelona secured another emphatic 5-2 victory.
During this period, Anthony Gordon scored twice, while Dani Olmo, Jules Kounde, Rodri and Eric Garcia also found the net.
Rodri is among those who has found the net in Raphinha’s absence. (Screenshot)
Barcelona now have 13 different goalscorers across their opening 11 competitive matches, having scored an extraordinary 48 goals.
Those numbers are particularly impressive given the summer departures of Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Marcus Rashford, who contributed a combined 54 goals last season.
Despite those departures, Flick’s attacking system has continued to produce goals at an astonishing rate.
Rodri highlights Barcelona’s collective strength
Speaking after the victory over Betis, Rodri explained why sharing goalscoring responsibility has become so important.
“We are all important. We don’t have a player who can score 50 or 60 goals, so everyone has to contribute to the goalscoring,” the midfielder said.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal has maintained his outstanding individual form, registering nine goals and 10 assists so far this season.
A welcome headache for Flick
Raphinha’s importance to Barcelona remains unquestionable, particularly because of his goals, pressing and leadership.
However, his absence has demonstrated that Flick’s team can continue to thrive without relying exclusively on their captain.
Hansi Flick’s attacking machine has continued to thrive even in the absence of Raphinha. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)
The emergence of different goalscorers also makes Barcelona harder to defend against. Opponents cannot simply concentrate on stopping Raphinha and Yamal.
With matches against PSG and Real Madrid approaching, the entire attack will need to contribute if Barça are to secure victories and maintain their perfect run.
Perhaps the biggest benefit is that Flick now has greater freedom to manage Raphinha’s workload without fearing a significant drop in attacking quality.
Barcelona are unquestionably stronger with their captain available, but his injury has shown that they can survive and thrive without him, something that could prove invaluable in the long run.