FC Barcelona put in another poor performance and were punished for it as they lost another three important points in their last La Liga match against Las Palmas.
This defeat can turn out to be significant, as after their last night’s victory over Getafe, Real Madrid are only 1 point behind the Blaugranes in the league table while having a game in hand.
Thus, this match was quite important, but Mundo Deportivo has noted a curious fact that was not looked upon by many observers as they were taken up by the three points lost, but which can still point to some underlying tensions in the Barcelona dressing room.
The midfielder Frenkie de Jong made his way to the pitch in this game in the 57th minute, but as opposed to what has been the custom for the last few games, Raphinha did not hand him the captain’s armband and continued playing with it till the end of the game.
The first game that Frenkie played this season was the one against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League. In that game, the Dutchman made his return to the pitch after several months on the sidelines, but Raphinha continued to keep the armband despite his arrival.
However, in the following matches, Frenkie has always got the armband when he got on the pitch. This was the case against Alaves, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Espanyol, as Raphinha gave him the captain’s honor when he stepped on the ground.
Similarly, the Dutchman also started the games against Red Star Belgrade and Real Sociedad with the armband from the very start, and then also got it as a substitute in the following two games against Celta Vigo and Brest.
In that last match, he faced some boos from the crowd and was brought on only for the last two minutes of the game, and his face showed some disappointment at the change of the armband. Thus, this last episode could have influenced the events of the game against Las Palmas.
For the next games, it will be interesting to see whether Frenkie takes the armband or Raphinha or Araujo, who is also set to return to the field soon, gets this honor.
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BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 30: Raphinha of FC Barcelona scores his team's first goal during the LaLiga match between FC Barcelona and UD Las Palmas at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on November 30, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 10: Alexander Isak of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Newcastle United FC at City Ground on November 10, 2024 in Nottingham, England.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 23: Dani Olmo of FC Barcelona reacts as he warms up prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between FC Barcelona and FC Bayern Munchen at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on October 23, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.