The two Barcelona stars who haven’t missed a minute under Hansi Flick | OneFootball

In the last match against Villarreal, the FC Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick, fielded a significantly rotated side. The youngsters Pau Cubarsi, Marc Casado, and Alejandro Balde were all given a rest, with Balde being the only player from this trio not to get on the pitch for the entire match.

Furthermore, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen also suffered an injury in this game and was taken off the pitch just before the half-time break. Inigo Martinez was also subbed out in the 81st minute for Hector Fort.

With all these substitutions and rotations, Mundo Deportivo notes that only Jules Kounde and Raphinha are now the two players who have played every possible minute since the start of the season. The duo has started all the games up to now, and have not been substituted in any of these games.

It is easy to understand why Flick is unwilling to get these players off the pitch. Both of them have been playing at a very high level, and the intensity and performance they have given on the pitch makes them particularly useful players for the German coach.

Raphinha has also been getting a lot of glory as well, as he has scored five goals up to now. However, as opposed to Kounde, he was able to get some rest in the September international break, as he was not called up by the Brazilian national team.

On the other hand, Kounde also had to play for his French national team during the last break, as he played 13 minutes against Italy, and another full 90 minutes against Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.

FC Barcelona now have matches scheduled against Getafe, Osasuna, Young Boys, and Alaves with very little time for rest in between. Thus, Flick might have to provide some rest to these two untouchable players soon, to keep getting the best out of them.