Hansi Flick finds the key to replacing the injured Dani Olmo at Barcelona | OneFootball

Given the way Dani Olmo started the season after arriving at Barcelona this past summer, his injury-enforced absence was always going to be a blow for the team.

The Spanish international scored in each of his first three appearances for the club before suffering an injury during the game against Girona, following which he has been sidelined for a period of at least four to five weeks.

Fermin Lopez’s injury, coupled with the absences of Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Marc Bernal, has meant that Hansi Flick has been left with very limited options in midfield.

Pablo Torre announces himself

For the UCL opener against AS Monaco last week, Flick opted to move Pedri into the No. 10 role while opting for a double pivot of Marc Casado and Eric Garcia.

On Sunday, though, he opted to change things and reverted Pedri to a deeper role in midfield, handing Pablo Torre his first start of the season, and the youngster made the most of his chance.

Indeed, the 21-year-old Torre, deployed as the central attacking midfielder, thrived against Villarreal. It was the former Racing Santander starlet who set Robert Lewandowski up for the opener with a brilliant pass that split the hosts’ defence.

While he had one or two missteps early in the second half, the Spain U-21 international made his mark with a well-taken goal to make it 3-1 in the 58th minute and put the game to bed.

Torre had played only about 20 minutes of football in the entire season thus far until last night. And when finally given a chance to start, the young midfielder showcased his quality and ability to make a difference, ensuring that Barça did not miss Olmo.

Torre shone brightly on his first start. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Torre happy with his opportunity

Speaking to the media after the game (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Torre expressed his pleasure at finally getting a starting opportunity, but also stressed on the need to keep working to maintain continuity in the team.

“The daily work is important so that it shows in the matches. Although we are not as important as we would like to be, we give our all and try to be prepared. We have to keep working every day because the opportunities come, when they come,” he said.

Despite delivering a solid display, Torre insisted that he is capable of much more and needs to improve, saying:

“I think I can be much better, but in the end I’m happy with the minutes I’ve played. Playing for Barça is a dream and I’m happy.”

On what Flick asked of him, the 21-year-old said: “The coach asks us for a lot of mobility, to get into the box, to play easily….”

Torre also lamented the season-ending injury to Marc-Andre ter Stegen, saying: “We knew it was a difficult game. We’re leaving with the thorn in Marc’s side.

“We send him a big hug from the whole team and the fans, we’ll see what they tell us in the next few hours. He has to undergo tests. Injuries are the worst thing in football.”