CRASHford: master of self-sabotage

Marcus Rashford was omitted from Barcelona’s starting XI for their clash with Getafe after reportedly arriving late to a pre-match meeting.

The English forward had been in sensational form for the Catalan side, netting a brilliant brace against Newcastle in the Champions League just days earlier. With Lamine Yamal still sidelined through injury, many expected Rashford to retain his spot. Instead, Hansi Flick named him on the bench, with Ferran Torres taking his place in the starting line-up.

According to Daily Mail Sport, Rashford was late by around two minutes to the team’s pre-match activation session on Sunday morning. The delay reportedly came as he was completing mandatory electronic forms that players must submit daily when joining up with the squad.

Flick has implemented a strict punctuality policy at Barcelona: any player arriving late to meetings or training is automatically ruled out, regardless of prior plans to start them.

This is not the first time Rashford has faced such consequences. During his time at Manchester United, he was dropped by Erik ten Hag in December 2022 for missing a meeting after oversleeping.

Rashford is also not the first Barcelona player to clash with Flick’s punctuality rules. Last week, Raphinha was substituted onto the pitch after arriving late to an activation session and went on to score twice in a 6-0 demolition of Valencia.