As injury plagued Barcelona look forward to the period after the international break, Hansi Flick could well have more players at his disposal following the Nations League break in primo October.
For Hansi Flick, the start to his new life in Barcelona has been an interesting one. Results-wise, his ideas are slowly but surely making their way onto the pitch. In terms of results, it has been a bit of a mixed bag, as could be expected when a head coach with radically different ideas steps in. Robert Lewandowski has been a forward reborn, and Lamine Yamal has proven he wasn’t just a ‘one-season wonder’, as he has continued his fine form off the back of an exquisite EUROs campaign, as analyzed in the relaunched podcast The Driven Shot, now a collaborative effort between news outlets Blaugranagram and Mundo Deportivo.
Raphinha has for in more ways than one proven to be one of Barcelona’s main revelations under Hansi Flick, as the Brazilian has continued to impress Barcelona coaches and fans alike with perserverance being his motto for everything he does. He has on many occasions shown the spirit of Barcelona both on and off the pitch, and his versatility has been key to unlocking defenses as he has found himself playing in behind the striker, in addition to his more usual position out on the wings.
Ferran Torres continues to be an issue, as the 22-year-old forward impresses with Spain but comes short when it’s Barça time; the tactics at play under Hansi Flick are different to that of Luis de La Fuente with La Roja, and the ex Valencia and Manchester City man continues to struggle as El Tiburón continues to fight his way up the pecking order.
Another player who is keen to make his mark this season, under new circumstances to when he last wore a Barcelona shirt, is Ansu Fati. The now 21-year-old forward spent last season on loan at Brighton under now Marseille coach Roberto de Zerbi, but fell short due to injuries that have been plaguing him since the meniscus tear back in 2020. He is back in Blaugrana colors, this time with a Spotify logo in front, but unlike the music, his form is not as groovy as fans have been hoping for. He has, however, shown a different side; one that has not been too dissimilar to when he first burst onto the scene under Ernesto Valverde, though not at the same level or with the same sense of unpredictability that once characterized Ansu.
For Fati though, things are looking on the up, as Flick multiple times has sang his praises, and with a tight schedule on the horizon, the 21-year-old should have plenty chances to prove himself as Barcelona enter a stretch of games that includes opponents like Sevilla, the Barcelona derby as the boys from Cornellà visit the Montjüic. This congested list is of course spiced up with a fixture against Flick’s old Bayern Munich and a Clásico against a Real Madrid who are still finding their feet after their marquee signing of Kylian Mbappé. Ansu and Ferran are expected to be given a chance to pull their own weight as Barcelona face four demanding fixtures in the span of just 14 days, three of which fall within a one week timespan.
And perhaps due to this, the timing of returns for players on the injury list could not be much better for Hansi Flick and his technical staff. The German has missed a couple of players who could play a key role this season due to injury: Ronald Araujo, Gavi, Dani Olmo and Fermín López who starred for Spain in the off-season. Flick said that Barcelona hoped that they’d ‘hopefully’ gain two or three more names on the selection list after the international break as the injured four get ready to return to the pitch.
In Gavi’s case, the 20-year-old has gotten more involved in training, for Ronald Araujo, the Uruguayan was not expected back before January, and Barcelona even registered Iñigo Martinez instead through article 77 in LaLiga’s clauses back in the off-season. The same clause was also used to register Wojciech Szczesny as Blaugranagram exclusively reported. The Uruguayan could however make a return a bit sooner than expected, reports SPORT.
His recovery is going well and it should not be ruled out that he sees the pitch before the turn of the year, though Flick will be cautious with his return, seeing as the defender got injured while on international duty in July, and a half year out means fortune favors the cautious.
For Olmo and Gavi however, the story is a bit different: they should be available for selection almost right after the international break. Gavi has been seen training in Barcelona’s facilities, as confirmed by Blaugranagram exclusively throughout the last weeks. Gavi even trained with the squad in some cases, but on the week before the international break, he was not training with the squad. His involvement has been a bit on-off as Hansi looks to regulate his return well, with the medical and technical staff. The same goes for Dani Olmo and Fermín, though their injuries were of less severity than Gavi, who has been sidelined due to an ACL tear for about a year now.
Flick’s next stretch with Barcelona will without a doubt partially be decided by the results, but with some potential key players slowly returning into the side, it will give him a positive headache when it comes to player selection as he continues to inject his ideas into this mixed Barça side.
