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11 Barcelona players receive national team call-ups for the last international break of 2018

By Benjamin Barkworth

Spain team lines up prior to the UEFA Nations League A group four match between Spain and Croatia at Martinez Valero on September 11, 2018 in Elche, Spain (Photo by David Aliaga/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Spain team lines up prior to the UEFA Nations League A group four match between Spain and Croatia at Martinez Valero on September 11, 2018 in Elche, Spain (Photo by David Aliaga/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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Barcelona have a number of players involved internationally over the break.

The third international break of the season is upon us as European teams finish the group stages of the Nations League while teams from other continents play friendlies or qualifiers for regional competitions. This break comes at an important time for Barcelona because they have plenty of time to digest the comprehensive 4-3 loss to Real Betis as well as prepare for the Atletico Madrid clash.

Against Betis, they were outplayed collectively with Lionel Messi and Arturo Vidal being the only two players who played well individually. Ernesto Valverde was out-thought by Quique Setien pre-match as well as during the game. It was a performance which will resonate for a while because it’s rare the Catalans are outplayed at home, nevermind by a team playing a similar style. They need to respond and a clash with Atletico is the perfect opportunity.

Altogether, 11 players have been called up by their national team managers. Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Malcom, Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Nelson Semedo are all key absentees, who will essentially be able to use the break as a rest period.

Luis Enrique finally called up Jordi Alba after two squads where he was surprisingly left out which was supposedly linked to their falling out in Enrique’s last season at the club. Sergi Roberto and Sergio Busquets are also in the squad to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly as well as Croatia in the Nations League, with a win in that confirming qualification to the final four tournament in the summer.

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Ivan Rakitic will be facing them and England in the tournament with his side on the verge of relegation to league B. Jasper Cillessen is part of a Dutch team that has exceeded expectations because they currently sit in second place with Germany and France left to face; a draw against Die Mannschaft would guarantee survival. Ousmane Dembele will be facing him as part of Les Bleus, however, he’s likely to be down the pecking order. France are strong favourites to qualify for the final four from that group.

In terms of the South American contingent, Arthur, Rafinha, Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal have all been called up for their respective sides. Brazil face Uruguay and Cameroon while Uruguay also have a friendly against France and Chile host Costa Rica and Honduras. Vidal is the only player who will travel to South America as the rest are playing matches in Europe. This is worrying because he could be suffering from fatigue by the end and he’s the favourite to replace the suspended Ivan Rakitic.

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Barcelona B player Ballou Tabla completes the list with a Concacaf Nations League match against Saint Kitts and Nevis. Overall, Barcelona aren’t heavily affected by this break in terms of the number of players involved and the distances they will travel.