Raphinha played down the significance of Barcelona’s 4-2 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, saying the result had cost his side only three points and would not affect Sunday’s El Clasico.
Paris Saint-Germain defeated their visitors in an entertaining match at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, in the third round of the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Raphinha was the first Barcelona player to speak after the heavy loss. The captain acknowledged the difficulty of the game and the atmosphere in Paris.
“We knew this could happen; we were facing the European champions twice, and playing in front of their fans is extremely difficult,” he said.
Raphinha admitted Barcelona had wanted more from the match but insisted the defeat should be kept in perspective.
“We wanted to win or at least get a point, but it is not the end of the world. Everything happens in its own time and, in the end, we have only lost three points,” he said.
The Brazil international has already turned his attention to Barcelona’s next fixture, with the club preparing for the Clasico on Sunday.
“We will see what the manager asks of us so that we can improve our performance and prepare for the Clasico,” Raphinha added.
Despite the scoreline, he praised Barcelona’s display and said the team had shown it could compete with Paris Saint-Germain.
“This is a well-coached team. Despite today’s result, we competed strongly,” he said.
“Both teams prefer to have possession of the ball, and we had the ball. It was a good test and showed that we are capable of competing. The result is what it is, but we played well.”
Raphinha also explained that his limited involvement had been planned. He had returned to training less than a week earlier and was substituted in the 60th minute.
“In the end, I had trained for less than a week, and this was planned. I played fewer minutes,” he said.
The Barcelona captain added that he had finished the match feeling physically well, although he is still working to improve his fitness.
“I finished the game feeling good and strong, and I am trying to improve my fitness further,” he said.
Raphinha was cautious when asked about Dani Olmo, who left the match with an injury. He said he did not yet know what had happened to his team-mate.
“I do not know what happened to Dani. We will speak to the manager and the doctor to find out what happened,” he said.
Asked whether the defeat could influence Barcelona’s performance in Sunday’s Clasico, Raphinha gave a brief response: “It will not affect us at all.”
