5 Reasons Why Rafinha Should Be a Starter for Barcelona

Jason Pettigrove@@jaypetti1971X.com LogoContributor IFebruary 3, 2015

5 Reasons Why Rafinha Should Be a Starter for Barcelona

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    Rafinha had his best game of the season against Villarreal.
    Rafinha had his best game of the season against Villarreal.Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

    Rafinha Alcantara has certainly taken his chance at Barcelona with both hands.

    His elevation to first-team contention is in stark contrast to Gerard Deulofeu, a player whom Rafinha shared a photo opportunity with at the start of the season.

    Both players were expected to make the step up; however, Deulofeu was given a short, sharp shock by Luis Enrique after being sent off to Sevilla.

    Rafinha has been biding his time and is now hammering the door down to be given a regular start. Let's take a look at five reasons why he will get that chance.

Genuine Box-to-Box Midfielder

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    Barca haven't had a player like Rafinha in their ranks for a long time.
    Barca haven't had a player like Rafinha in their ranks for a long time.Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

    Rafinha is the type of player Barcelona have desperately needed for a while now.

    Someone who can turn defence into attacking and supplement both at either end of the pitch when needed. A player whose engine is on par with the effervescent Dani Alves and Jordi Alba.

    A physical presence is helpful when making those incisive bursts forward, and Rafinha takes some effort to stop when in full flight.

    Every team needs a midfield general. Barca may just have one.

Brawn as Well as Brain

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    Rafinha isn't frightened to put it about.
    Rafinha isn't frightened to put it about.Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

    Barcelona generally are thought of as a team of little, highly skillful exponents, but with a bit of a soft core.

    Yes ,these boys can play, but when the going gets tough, sometimes they can be found wanting.

    Not with Rafinha at the heart of the midfield.

    A robust individual, the youngster gives as good as he gets in the heat of battle, and the Catalans have missed that.

    Used intelligently, there is definitely a place for some heavy-duty game play in Barca's armoury.

Better Than Rakitic?

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    Rafinha's stats stand up well compared with Ivan Rakitic.
    Rafinha's stats stand up well compared with Ivan Rakitic.Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

    It appeared to be a strange decision that Luis Enrique had made against Villarreal, replacing only Ivan Rakitic with Rafinha.

    On closer inspection however, the youngster's stats hold up well when compared with the Croatian international.

    Per WhoScored.com, although Rafinha's La Liga passing accuracy of 87.9 is lower than Rakitic's 90.2, the latter has played eight more games.

    In the Champions League, Rafinha's completion rate is significantly better at 93.1 percent, compared to 89.1 for Rakitic.

    Both commit roughly the same amount of fouls per game, but Rafinha's successful tackle rate of 1.5 per game is better than Rakitic's 1.3.

Homegrown Talent

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    You can't put a price on homegrown talent.
    You can't put a price on homegrown talent.Petros Karadjias/Associated Press

    You cannot put a price on talent that you have nurtured throughout the developmental stage.

    Rafinha is the latest from the La Masia production line, and while it could be said that there is no longer any loyalty in football, making it to the first team after rising up through the ranks must surely give the recipient and club a great deal of pride.

    You can't buy that sort of attachment to the shirt, and arguably you'll get an extra 10 percent out of the player when required because of it.

Never-Say-Die Attitude

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    Rafinha never knows when he is beaten.
    Rafinha never knows when he is beaten.Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images

    Rafinha is a rare breed of talent that never knows when he is beaten.

    Just look at the way he chased every ball, harried every player and ran after every lost cause in the Villarreal match as an example.

    A warrior in every sense, he covers every blade of grass and seems unwilling to accept defeat until the officials eventually bring proceedings to a close.

    You don't teach that.

    It's natural instinct and desire. And Rafinha has bundles of it.

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