FC Barcelona have been rather unlucky with injuries once again this season at certain points. Due to the demanding calendar, it has been pivotal for Hansi Flick to manage and protect his players accordingly. Unfortunately, that has not stopped some Barcelona players from still getting sidelined.
Perhaps one of the best examples of this was the injury that came to Lamine Yamal. Already cemented as one of the team’s most important pieces within the structure, the 17-year-old winger’s injury led to Barcelona struggling in three consecutive La Liga games, and dropping some crucial points as well.
That is why, even when it seems like an unpopular decision, Hansi Flick has started to rotate his key players a bit more often now. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, the German coach is willing to take such risks in order to ensure the long-term benefits that would come to Barcelona from having their best players available in key stretches of the season.
Against Las Palmas, for instance, he kept Dani Olmo benched for the entire game despite the fact that Barcelona ultimately ended up losing that game 2-1. With Olmo having some discomfort ahead of that game, Flick took no risks and was much more willing to potentially lose the game than to lose one of his best players for the long run.
Similarly, Robert Lewandowski did not play any minutes against RCD Mallorca in Barça’s latest game. Fortunately, even without him, the Catalan giants managed to win convincingly away from home and scored five goals past the Mallorca goalkeeper.
Moreover, Flick understands that this may have been his last chance to make such considerable rotations ahead of a jam-packed schedule of games. Between the 7th of December until the 21st, Barça will play four games against some top opponents and Hansi Flick will want to ensure that his best players are available for it.
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MALLORCA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 03: Frenkie de Jong (R) of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring his team's fourth goal with teammates during the LaLiga match between RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona at Estadi de Son Moix on December 03, 2024 in Mallorca, Spain.
MADRID, SPAIN - OCTOBER 26: Raphinha of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal with teammates Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal during the LaLiga match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on October 26, 2024 in Madrid, Spain.
Barcelona's Spanish midfielder #20 Dani Olmo looks on during his presentation prior the 59th Joan Gamper Trophy football match between FC Barcelona and AS Monaco at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on August 12, 2024.
Even beyond those games, however, the German coach does not want to have a depleted squad for the final stretch of the season either. Arguably the most important part of any campaign, that is when titles can be decided, and Flick will want to improve his team’s chances of getting title opportunities by protecting his players as much as possible.