Table of Contents
Marcus Rashford’s
moment has come at Barcelona, but it could be gone as quick with
Raphinha nearing a return from injury.
Marcus
Rashford has been earning praise in Spain for his form at
Barcelona.
Thrust into the starting lineup after Raphinha’s injury, he has
logged more minutes than everyone except Eric García and is the
team’s most productive player with six goals and seven assists. In
Raphinha’s absence, he has become an important piece for Hansi
Flick.
But the Brazilian is expected to get medical clearance to return
on Saturday versus Athletic Club, and there’s a real chance
Rashford’s minutes start to dwindle once the captain and talisman
is back.
The English forward, at his very best, is a game-winner. He’s
explosive, direct and capable of elite finishing. But he still
leans too heavily on isolated flashes over steady, reliable
production. He can excite and frustrate all in the same
sequence.
Rashford is unquestionably a star. The debate isn’t whether he
belongs in that category but how much influence he really has.
Flick built a ruthless attacking machine in his first year at
the club, but that machine is beginning to misfire. A 2-1 loss to
Paris Saint-Germain started a worrying slump. An embarrassing 4-1
defeat to Sevilla followed, along with a loss against Real Madrid
and then a 3-3 draw with Club Brugge.
The underlying numbers confirm the dip even if it is only slight
– 2.75 goals per game this season compared to 2.90 last year, 2.10
xG per match versus 2.42 last season. Their big chances are down
too, from 4.2 last year to 3.6 per game this season.
The margins aren’t massive but Barcelona aren’t as productive as
they were during Flick’s first 12 months in charge. Rashford’s
inconsistency is part of the problem.
Rashford’s High-Volume Attacking Numbers
There’s nothing wrong with Rashford’s attacking numbers at first
glance. Thirteen goal involvements in 16 games is a solid output,
and he is heavily involved too, touching the ball 60.2 times per
90, by far the highest number of his career. He is also shooting
more often than ever with 4.5 shots per game, but his xG per shot
is down to 0.07, which is a career-low, suggesting he’s launching
shots from poor positions or forcing low-value efforts.
Flick hinted at a deeper concern about Rashford’s end product in
early November. After Barcelona’s win over Elche, he remarked:
“When you see the chances he has, one or two more goals would be
good.”
It was a subtle comment, but the German manager had a point.
“I just try to do the right things on the pitch,” Rashford said
after the same game. “Even today, I could have had more assists or
goals, sometimes the decision to shoot or pass was wrong. My focus
is not so much on the output. If I am doing the right things, I
know I will always be able to score and assist; my focus is with
the team, to build relationships and feel comfortable.”
Flick did go on to stress that Rashford is an important player.
And he is, but he’s arguably not a reliably prolific one.
If your team can stomach the wasted chances and the questionable
decisions, you still get a player who can change games in your
favour.
There are several factors behind Barcelona’s drop-off in form
since last season. There have been injuries to key players, a
noticeable dip in intensity, and the psychological effect that
comes when both the squad and their opponents sense those issues.
The compounding effect can derail a season.
Rashford is producing 1.03 goals and assists per 90 this season,
compared to Raphinha’s 1.08 before the injury. Only Kylian Mbappé
(5.0) is taking more shots per game than Rashford (4.4) across the
top five European leagues among forwards with at least 720 league
minutes played this season.
We’re comparing him to Raphinha, a player who finished fifth in
Ballon d’Or voting and had the season of his life in 2024-25. In
one sense, that’s an unfair benchmark but it’s also the reality of
the competition Rashford faces for his place. That’s life at
Barcelona.
Put simply, Raphinha functioned as a complementary piece in
Barcelona’s attack while producing at a superstar level. Rashford,
on the other hand, carries the superstar status while delivering
slightly less.
And that’s before we get to what Barcelona need most right
now.
The
Defensive Drawback
Flick’s attacking system depends on absolute focus once the ball
is lost and near-constant defensive awareness even when you’re
attacking the opposition’s penalty area. Iñigo Martínez, the former
Barcelona defender, put it best when he was asked about the
vigilance Flick’s system requires: “Between the coffee I drank to
stay alert during the game and the stress you carry having to be
constantly aware of the opponent, I couldn’t sleep for hours after
a game.”
Rashford has averaged 0.6 tackles & interceptions per 90
this season in La Liga. Dani Olmo
and Lamine Yamal are both averaging 2.0 in 2025-26, and last season
Raphinha averaged 1.5. In the Champions League this term,
Rashford’s 18.9 high-intensity pressures applied is the third
fewest among outfield players at the club, behind only centre-backs
Eric García and Pau Cubarsí.
Raphinha was undoubtedly the leader of Barcelona’s
counter-press. He’s only played 90 minutes this season in Europe
but produced 30 high-intensity pressures, while the year before he
averaged 31.9 over more than 1,200 minutes.
Sport reported on Wednesday that the return of Raphinha
was a major boost given his aggression and intensity, not just
during games but in training too. His 34 goals and 26 assists last
season grabbed the headlines but it was what he did out of
possession that allowed Barcelona the platform to win La Liga, the
Copa del Rey and come to within second of reaching the UEFA
Champions League final.
Rashford’s Future at Barcelona
That’s not to pin any reductive label on Rashford. It doesn’t
mean he shouldn’t be in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, or that
Barcelona shouldn’t consider signing him permanently. Recent
reports have suggested Flick is leaving at the end of the season,
and a new manager may view Rashford differently and assign him
another role with different defensive expectations.
There will likely be more injuries and opportunities this season
for Rashford to continue to produce at the level he is right now,
but he will always be haunted by Raphinha’s status.
The production is there, even if it takes Rashford more chances
to get to the point. He has earned Flick’s trust and become an
important player in one of the best teams in the world. He was
brought in as a versatile forward and will likely have every chance
to show off that versatility in the coming weeks and months.
Rather than letting him fight directly with Raphinha for
minutes, Flick may choose to use Rashford through the middle.
Against Girona, he offered nothing from the left but suddenly came
alive once he moved centrally. Even the coaching staff aren’t
aligned as to his best position.
The fact is, if Raphinha returns from injury and can recapture
anything like the form he has shown over the past 18 months,
Rashford as the incumbent will have to reshape his game.
Rashford can be decisive. But it’s equally important to
recognise the inevitable dips. There will be spells where he can’t
hit a barn door, moments where he switches off.
And then, just as inevitably, there will be moments of genuine
brilliance.
For his entire career, Rashford has been chasing the standard he
set for himself as a teenager at Manchester United playing for his
boyhood club, living a dream shared by thousands of kids in
Manchester and beyond. The narrative was irresistible.
But given the player he is, the frustration and the
contradictions that come with watching him were just as inevitable.
Will he get the platform to keep producing at this level? Or will
he fade into the background at the Camp Nou?
We’re about to find out.
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