It’s not that complicated. Even great players will struggle like a fish out of water when they are stuck in the wrong environment.
Raphinha has always been a barnstorming superstar.
Unfortunately, the system that Xavi had in place was too positionally rigid for the Brazilian to shine.
Under Hansi Flick, the game has opened up, and Raphinha is free to fly.
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Flick needed a player like Raphinha to be the spark that the rest of the players would feed off of.