Barcelona furious with Ancelotti over Raphinha injury scare
by Moronfolu Adeyemi · The Eagle OnlineBarcelona are reportedly furious with Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti after Raphinha suffered an injury scare while on international duty.
The winger was withdrawn at half-time during Brazil’s 4-2 victory over Australia, raising concerns at the Catalan club about his workload during the international window.
According to El Chiringuito, Barcelona are unhappy with Ancelotti’s handling of Raphinha after the forward played the full 90 minutes in Brazil’s first friendly against Australia before starting the second encounter.
Raphinha was replaced by Endrick at the interval after scoring from the penalty spot in what was otherwise a positive outing for the Barcelona forward.
The situation was made more concerning by the fact that Ancelotti did not provide an update on Raphinha’s fitness during his post-match press conference.
Instead, the Brazil coach focused on praising Vinicius Jr, according to reports, further fuelling the frustration within the Barcelona camp.
The Brazilian Football Confederation subsequently confirmed that imaging tests showed a “small” muscle oedema.
Reports said the decision to send Raphinha back to Barcelona was mutually agreed as a precautionary measure to avoid further damage.
Also Read:
- FG moves to create 24-hour electricity zones in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, others
- Independence Day: FG declares October 1 public holiday
- Oyo 2027: I won’t touch LG funds if elected – APC guber candidate
- Bilic fumes as Croatia suffer heavy defeat to Spain
- Carragher wants Man City stripped of titles, owners removed after guilty verdict
The injury scare has heightened concerns because of Raphinha’s recent history with his right thigh. The forward reportedly missed more than 150 days last season after suffering four separate injuries to the same area and was also forced off during Brazil’s match against Haiti at the World Cup.
Despite the setback, Raphinha had ended the Australia game on a positive note by converting a penalty, his first international goal in more than 500 days.
Brazil are expected to have a final training session in Brisbane before travelling to Kolkata for Saturday’s friendly against India.
Ancelotti has not called up a replacement for Raphinha, despite previous injuries to Joao Pedro and Wesley.
Barcelona will now monitor the winger’s condition ahead of their La Liga meeting with Getafe on October 10.
The Catalan side are particularly eager to have Raphinha available after his strong start to the campaign, with 12 domestic league goals and a Champions League brace against Feyenoord.
[wpadcenter_ad id='745970' align='none']