Barcelona coach to change 23-year-old player’s position after the international break | OneFootball

At a club like FC Barcelona, there is always a sense of competition that fuels the desire of everyone to improve. Without a competitive edge, no top team in the world can even hope to compete against the other juggernauts of world football. That is why, especially at Barcelona, there must be competition in each and every spot.

Moreover, with players gradually returning from injury as well, Hansi Flick’s options at the club across the field only continue to improve. Despite having a depleted defense and midfield at one point, the German coach led his team through tough times and ensured that they got the positive results that they needed, and in dominant fashion no less.

Now, however, he has the liberty of getting to choose which players will get the opportunity to feature for his team. Yet, with every silver lining, there must come a cloud as well for others. Due to the return of the injured and sidelined midfielders, a certain Barcelona player will now potentially have even fewer minutes than he was limited to before.

Eric Garcia, aged 23, has more or less played as a defensive pivot this season to account for the loss of Marc Bernal at one point. While his consistency in that role has been mixed and rather flexible, the return of players such as Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, and even the emergence of Marc Casado, have now completely shut that door of opportunity for him.

However, according to SPORT, Hansi Flick has a different plan in mind for Garcia. Reportedly, the Barcelona coach wants to change his position again after the upcoming international break in this ongoing month, given that the player is still in recovery from his previous injury, and he wants to revert him back to playing as a center-back for the team.

With Ronald Araujo still in recovery and Andreas Christensen working on making his return at some point as well, Garcia would likely have more options to feature as a center-back than he would in the midfield. Moreover, it is also the position where he naturally feels most comfortable, and even excelled with Girona last season in that same role.

It remains to be seen just how Flick ends up implementing this, but there is still some time before the German coach executes this possible plan. Until then, the trusty duo of Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez remains the ideal pairing that the Barcelona coach has had the most success with so far.