Barcelona have slightly righted the ship after back-to-back losses to PSG and Real Madrid with victories over Deportivo Alavés and Aston Villa. But the league leaders still aren’t firing at full strength heading into an important match-up with second place Atlético Madrid before the next international break. Hansi Flick’s team plays a demanding style, but has the German managed his team’s minutes and depth properly?
Injury Concerns
The longer international break window was supposed to mitigate travel with national teams and take off some of the pressure on players. However, this experiment has yet to bear fruit. Injuries across the board, at least for FC Barcelona, are at the same regularity as previous seasons. Frenkie de Jong missing the first part of the season had to do with his Dutch duties at the World Cup, but the other current injuries to the squad have taken place during club competition.
Raphinha only missed two matches after picking up a knock with Brazil in the last international window. However, there are concerns about lingering injuries with the 29-year-old despite his five goals in the last five games. Nevertheless, the attacker was called up to national team duty by Carlo Ancelotti for matches against Japan and Singapore in Singapore on November 14 and 17. Culers will be on the edge of their seats in hopes that he returns to Catalonia healthy and fit.
Midfield Rotation
At the moment, at least Raphinha is fit. The same cannot be said for Eric GarcÃa, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé, Xavi Espart, Rodri, and Dani Olmo. Some of those injuries are simply the result of opponent contact that can’t be prepared for. But some are not.
The recent hamstring injury to Rodri raises questions about game management and durability, particularly in light of the nearly 700 minutes the 30-year-old has logged this season. Did he need to play so much? Unlike Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, where the quality drop-off with back-ups is considerable, the midfield is flush with solid players.
Pedri is second in minutes this season for outfield players behind Lamine Yamal, and there are questions on whether or not Gavi could have grabbed some those starts or minutes. So far this season, the 22-year-old Gavi has played just 211 minutes in eight matches. More challenges for Flick and company are finding opportunities to fit in recovering players like Marc Bernal into the rotation.
Defensive Depth
As far as the backline goes, there are some positives. One of them is the emergence of Brian Fariñas, the most recent midfielder turned full-back revelation from La Masia since Xavi Espart. But there are negatives as well. Alejandro Balde, once the future of the left-back position at the club, has played only 124 minutes in five matches. Four of those games were in the last few weeks due to the other backline injuries. Balde is likely on his way out, either on loan or permanently in January. This raises big concerns around that left-back position. Without another defender brought in to replace him, that spot would be very thin.
A Management Challenge
There is a fine line that Hansi Flick must walk between trusting in the players he can rely on to start against the best of Europe and keeping them fresh. There is more of an art than a hard science to knowing when to trust in rotation pieces like Gabriel Jesus or youngsters like Hamza Abdelkarim.
Those watching La Masia regularly may be clamoring for the debuts of players that have appeared on Flick’s bench this season. Some of these faces include Ebrima Tunkara, Orian Goren, Àlex Campos, and Guillem VÃctor. But there is a reason why the manager has not trusted them yet. Even though the true depth of the squad has been sidelined, there are still six outfielder players on the bench at any given time ready to get minutes. That is a luxury that Barcelona managers in recent seasons haven’t had, and Culers will be hoping that Hansi Flick can find the perfect balance.
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