A tactical analysis of Raphinha - Why Chelsea and Barcelona are chasing him?

Raphinha is one of the most wanted players in Europe, with Chelsea and Barcelona battling it out to secure the talented Brazilian's signature, while Arsenal were also interested in him until a few weeks ago.

The Leeds star enjoyed a great 2021-22 Premier League season in which he scored 11 goals and assisted three. He played a key role in securing Premier League safety for Leeds, and since then, has drawn considerable interest among the top clubs in Europe.

Here are the reasons why Raphinha will be moving to one of those top clubs this summer:

Classic left-footed inverted winger

Left-footed players playing down the right wing have always been a delight to watch. Raphinha is one such player who loves to cut inside from the right flank and shoot with his left foot. Interestingly, he scored all his 11 goals last season using his left foot.

Another advantage of having an inverted winger is that they can mix things up by going for long shots once they cut in with the ball. Raphinha checks this box too as he managed to score four goals from outside the box last season, proving his long-range shooting ability.

Set-piece threat

Raphinha was the designated set-piece taker at Leeds United. He converted all four penalties he took and also scored converted two free-kicks last season. Apart from that, he had 22 shot-creating actions from dead ball situations which ranked him 8th in the league.

The Brazilian also struck the woodwork seven times last season, the highest in the league. Three of them came from direct free-kicks.

Raphinha and Mbeumo were the unluckiest players in Premier League last season

Defensive work-rate

In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker, and the striker the first defender. - Johan Cruyff

In modern football, the roles of each player has expanded where a defender is expected to contribute in attack while an attacker is also expected to perform his defensive duties. Marcelo Bielsa's training methods and high pressing system have helped Raphinha hit impressive defensive numbers in the last two seasons.

In the last 365 days, he has averaged 1.82 blocks per 90, ranking him in the 91st percentile among wingers. He attempted 54 tackles and pressed 574 times last season, with the majority in midfield and defensive third - highlighting his ability to track back and press when required.

Effective ball-carrier and decision-maker

The 25-year old Brazilian was a key outlet for Leeds to bring the ball forward from defense last season. He has incredible close-control and turns smoothly to lose his markers. With 5.22 progressive passes per 90 in the last 365 days, he ranks in the 90th percentile among wingers, showing his directness during attacks.

The Brazilian international ended last season with an expected assists tally of 6.8 in which the majority were down to his dribbling ability. 13 of his successful dribbles ended up in a shot being taken, ranking him 7th best in the league.

He also made 65 key passes, which is the second highest among teams that finished outside the top six.