Barcelona medical staff have asked one player to sprint less on the pitch

The medical staff at La Liga giants Barcelona recently requested one leading member of Hansi Flick’s squad to alter his workrate whilst on the pitch.

That’s according to Relevo, who point towards Raphinha as the player in question.

Wide-man Raphinha is for his part of course in the midst of a stellar opening to the new campaign.

Across Barcelona’s seven La Liga outings to date, the Brazilian international has racked up seven direct goal contributions, by way of five goals, and two assists.

And yet, Raphinha’s influence runs far beyond simply his output in the attacking third.

The 27-year-old, in addition, has taken on a leadership role on and off the pitch alike. His incessant work rate has been widely hailed by fans and the media alike, with Raphinha now considered a reference for his teammates in match situations.

As alluded to above, though, so intense did the former Leeds United man’s efforts prove at points last season, that he was actually requested to pump the brakes by the backroom staff in Catalunya’s capital.

As per the aforementioned Relevo:

‘The statistics on the GPS that the players carry measure the short sprints per match and, according to what Relevo has been able to find out, on more than one occasion last season they had to ask him not to do so many short sprints because he would break down.’

Conor Laird – GSFN