First his positive for COVID-19 and then some muscle discomfort They have deprived Rafinha Alcántara of starting with Pochettino and having minutes of play. Since then, he has barely 55 minutes between Ligue 1 matches against Nîmes and Monaco. This circumstance and the fact of being together with Timothée Pembélé, the only PSG player who has not started with Pochettino, fills with doubts everything related to Rafinha's current potential, according to assures Le Parisien.
The French newspaper recalls the words of the Argentine coach when addressing Rafinha's situation and the importance of “being prepared” before the French Cup game against Caen on February 10: “In the case of Rafa When we arrived, he was affected by COVID, we have an important staff and we are forced to make decisions. Not everyone can play, but it is important to be prepared. We know that at some point there will be opportunities. “
Le Parisien assures that the bad luck of being positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the year and subsequent muscular discomfort have slowed down the Hispanic-Brazilian and forced him to miss matches, but also recalls that Pochettino “has never been a great admirer of the ex-Azulgrana midfielder” and that the technician's doubts about his potential come from behind.
A situation similar to Sissoko's
He also explains that a bad start with Pochettino is not synonymous with an ostracism sentence to life. And the example of Sissoko and what happened at Tottenham with Pochettino invite us to hope that the Brazilian's situation will change. The French started the same with Pochettino just like Rafinha. Sissoko lived a difficult first season (2016-17) with Spurs, with 12 starts in 34 games, before becoming part of the European runner-up team, in the 2018-19 season, in which he accumulated 39 starts in 44 games. So there is reason to hope that Rafinha can change her situation.
There is a path and the slope is steep. Of course, Rafinha is not fooled by this lack of confidence, and knows that he will have to redouble his efforts to win, at the very least, in the PSG rotation. “Those who play and those who do not play must remain fully motivated and focused on what they want. Otherwise, you put your foot on the ground,” said Rafinha. A few words that say a lot about the attitude of the Spanish-Brazilian in the face of a complicated situation, but in no way paralyzing.
In addition, according to Le Parisien, Rafinha's closeness with great team stars such as Neymar and Icardi can also count on future decisions of the Argentine coach.