I don't think Rashford needs to play against average clubs before he should prove his performance at Barcelona. He can quickly get used to the team if he gets playing time with Hensi flick. Rashford and Raphinha almost play the similar pattern. Raphinha is playing the speed game, and considering their current performance, Marcus Rashford has more speed than Raphinha. I'm not trying to rate Rashford higher than Raphinha because there are several aspects that make Raphinha more valuable than Rashford. Raphinha can play a variety of positions, it would be perfect if Hensi flick used him in the attacking midfield and Rashford on the left wing since that is his natural position.
How then will he get the playing time if another player is not benched? Of course he and Raphinha plays the same wing but not same pattern of football. As both of them plays the same wing are you expecting Fick to bench Raphinha in place of Rashford in an important game? Of course not, so Rashford definitely has to play the less important games, come up as substitute as well in other games to gain confidence and balance in the team.
Rashford and Raphinha both have their strengths, but it's true they can’t both start in the same role right away. Rashford might need to come off the bench or play less critical matches at first to adapt and build rhythm. Over time, if he fits well in Flick’s system, he can gradually earn more minutes. So, it’s not about replacing Raphinha immediately, but creating balance and options in attack.
Of course flick can always play them interchangeably or they could create a way
ofaround it to play both of
them together, Rashford has a lot of power when it comes to putting the ball of the run, Raphinha on the other side it's fantastic with ball control while pushing the ball from the right side, I don't really know how
HensiHansi flick wants to do it, but trust me Rashford wouldn't be on the bench. But one thing observe with Barcelona team last season especially in the Champions League, is the fact that they don't have good defence, of course it is good to solidify your attack but your defence should be also solid too, so I was believing this were the critical areas
HensiHansi flick would have been looking at.