Barcelona's form has nosedived in Marcus Rashford's absence
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford has missed another Barcelona match(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
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Marcus Rashford's absence was keenly felt as Barcelona suffered a 2-1 loss to local rivals Girona. Rashford, who was ruled out of last week's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg defeat to Atletico Madrid due to a knee injury, missed the La Liga encounter.
The injury is a setback for both the player and the club, especially as Rashford had been enjoying the best form of his loan spell. Although the injury is not believed to be severe, it has certainly halted his momentum as he aims to persuade Barca to make his transfer from Manchester United permanent this summer.
Without him, Barca have struggled, suffering a 4-0 thrashing at Atletico before the unexpected loss to Girona. Missed opportunities in the first half, including Lamine Yamal striking the post from the penalty spot, proved costly.
Pau Cubarsi put Barca ahead just before the hour mark, but a lacklustre second-half performance from the visitors saw them pegged back by a Thomas Lemar equaliser shortly afterwards.
Fran Beltran then netted a contentious winner on 86 minutes, awarded after a VAR review, despite Barca claiming a foul in the build-up. The result saw Hansi Flick's team lose their top spot in the La Liga table to Real Madrid.
Spanish media pulled no punches following the match, with MARCA proclaiming a full-blown "crisis that could leave them empty-handed this season," while SPORT said "everything fell apart in a chaotic second half."
While it's evident Barca have struggled for goals in recent games, potentially down to Rashford's absence, Flick's tactics and the defence have attracted the harshest criticism. Commentator Manolo Lama said they "defend terribly" and that Flick had "gone mad" tactically.
Fran Beltran of Girona FC celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the LaLiga match against Barcelona
Girona celebrate their late winner against Barcelona(Image: Getty Images)
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He also suggested that Barca deployed a "4-1-5 formation" against Girona with "five forwards that neither pressed nor won the ball back nor helped the defenders."
Among the few positives was one of Rashford's competitors for a starting spot, Raphinha, who returned from injury. Barca Universal, awarding him a 7/10 rating, said: "The Brazilian was on full throttle, pressing high out of possession and going for goal whenever presented with a chance in attack. Came close to scoring on a couple of occasions in the first period but could not capitalise."
Hansi Flick
Hansi Flick has been heavily criticised following Barcelona's second straight defeat(Image: Europa Press via Getty Images)
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Given his recent spell on the sidelines, Raphinha was taken off after 60 minutes. Football Espana noted it was "no coincidence that his exit coincided with Girona growing in the game."
Rashford will be hoping to feature when Barcelona welcome Levante on Sunday, though Raphinha's display against Girona might mean he has to accept a place among the substitutes.
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