Ronald Araújo of FC Barcelona
Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images
Ronald Araujo took a sabbatical from professional football earlier this season and only returned in the final of the Spanish Super Cup for a few minutes.
Since then, his prominence has been limited, albeit growing, and it is clear that he will become important to Hansi Flick’s plans as the weeks pass.
Now, as reported by SPORT, the manager finds himself in a situation that he sees fit to improve Araujo’s importance – something that may see him feature more prominently in the coming games.
As relayed by the outlet, the injuries to Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde leave the manager relatively short-staffed in defence and may well lead to the captain entering the dynamics more often.
With Balde and Kounde out, Joao Cancelo and Eric Garcia are expected to take over the full-back duties on a starting basis.
Ronald Araújo of FC Barcelona
More game time for Araujo?. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
Given the hectic schedule, it is vital for the manager to have rotation options as well, and Gerard Martin, who has shone as a centre-back in recent times, may be forced to play out wide, with even Marc Casado possibly serving as a backup.
The centre-back department, thus, appears relatively light-staffed, and Araujo may be Flick’s trump card.
The Uruguayan star has dished out some strong performances in recent times, especially in his cup start against Albacete, where he even scored a goal.
Should he be back to his mentally confident state, having his physicality and leadership will be an asset.
The coming games, thus, could see him even start for Barcelona, especially against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League, where the Catalans will be up against some elite aerial and physical attacking threat.
Marc Bernal of FC Barcelona
Marc Bernal of FC Barcelona