International break. Two of the most anxiety-inducing words for Barcelona fans.
When you’re the best club in world, as Barcelona currently are, it means that just about all of your players will be switching shirts to represent their countries.
Once they leave the Camp Nou, they are at the mercy of a new coach with their own interests at play.
Surely Raphinha needs a break, but don’t expect Carlo Ancelotti to care. Instead, he’s likely to capitalize on the revelation that the Barca captain is in fact
a fantastic center forward. No better time to experiment if you’re Brazil. All you have to do is buy Raphinha a ticket to Australia and India where the friendly games will be played.
The Spanish national team called up seven Barca players, with Gavi being the only surprise absence. All of them are in need of a rest after racking up minutes for Barcelona to start the season, but don’t hold your breath.
Things will get very interesting for Hansi Flick once play resumes against Getafe in October. More than anything, he’ll be saying his prayers every night that his players return in full health, especially with PSG and Real Madrid on the horizon.
Regardless of whether luck is on his side, Flick will have to be smart about rotations. His team is off to a historic start, but the main characters leading the way can’t be run into the ground, especially the ones with a recent history of costly injuries.
When Andreas Christensen went down against Sevilla, we all held our breath, went to the depth chart, and were reminded how light Barcelona is at the position after the departures of Ronald Araujo and Álvaro Cortés.
In the midfield, the situation is better, especially with Frenkie de Jong set to make a comeback within the next month or two.
Wing depth is also not a concern, but when you consider that Raphinha is deputizing in the middle, there is a question around who can be relied on to fill in at striker. Last season it was Ferran Torres.
For now, we haven’t seen enough from Gabriel Jesus or Hamza Abdelkarim to know if they’re up to the task. Hopefully that changes once the break is over so Flick can know for sure what he’s working with.
Deco’s strategy seems clear. There’s enough on the roster to get us to January. At that point, evaluate the situation anew.
Let’s not forget that this is a high-flying Barcelona team that plays with energy and intensity every time out. It’s a demanding system, and the players aren’t robots.
Flick’s tactics and player selection has been masterful so far.
The question going forward his how he manages the busy calendar. That’s where the biggest trophies will be won or lost.
