Barca News Network
·21 September 2024
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Yahoo sportsBarca News Network
·21 September 2024
FC Barcelona continue to be more passive with their injured players and it makes sense. In the past, the Catalan club has really struggled with their returning players and it has led to unfortunate relapses as well. This time, however, Barcelona hopes to be more careful with such players to avoid any subsequent issues.
The latest player to return from injury is Ansu Fati, the 21-year-old Barcelona forward who has long been seen as the heir to the throne left vacant by Lionel Messi. However, constant injuries and a lack of consistency have left him to be a shell of his former self at times.
Now, however, he has the backing of Hansi Flick behind him. The German technician has been quite vocal about his support for the Barcelona youngster and he believes that he has what it takes to resurge and help out this team of his that is looking to compete for everything.
Yet, while there is a lot of faith in the young Barcelona striker, Hansi Flick is working to help him with a very specific plan that lets him get back into match fitness while also not overexerting him, as per SPORT. This plan exercises passiveness but also gives the player enough room to grow and settle back in.
For instance, in the recent loss to Monaco, Hansi Flick introduced Ansu Fati in the dying minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the situation of the match was such that it did not allow the young Barcelona gem to completely be able to have an impact but it at least gave him a taste of a match setting again.
Similarly, he is expected to get more minutes against Villarreal than the ones he got against Monaco. However, that would be the ideal scenario, as the situation of a game can change drastically from an ideal concept and the coach will have to make adjustments accordingly.
Following that, the games against Getafe, Alaves, or even Young Boys in the Champions League could be great opportunities for Hansi Flick to finally start Ansu Fati at some point. Given how tirelessly some of the other players have been working so far, it would make sense to give them a breather too.