Injuries always have an impact on a team’s season and most league winners are the team that can keep their quality on the pitch for the most amount of games. That was the case for Barcelona’s La Liga win last season, however the injuries are mounting and threatening to derail their European ambitions and domestic domination this time around.
What began as manageable niggles has escalated into a full-blown crisis, leaving coach Hansi Flick without several key players, mostly in attacking positions, for a pivotal stretch of fixtures, most notably the upcoming El Clásico against Real Madrid.
The mounting injury list has created a tactical and depth nightmare, with the focus now shifting from performance on the pitch to simply having enough fit bodies to compete.
The most immediate and latest blow to Hansi Flick has been delivered to the forward line. Robert Lewandowski is the latest high-profile casualty as the club confirmed the 37-year-old suffered a muscle tear in the biceps femoris of his left thigh while on international duty. This injury is expected to sideline him for up to a month, ruling him definitively out of the clash at the Santiago Bernabéu.
With Ferran Torres returning from international duty as precaution through injury, you wonder where the goals will come from with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo all expected to miss the Girona game.
To compound the injury situation is the status of Brazilian winger Raphinha. His hamstring injury, picked up two weeks prior, has reportedly sustained a setback in recovery, with the problem proving more serious than initially feared. Raphinha is now a major doubt for El Clásico, robbing the team of its primary creative forces on the flanks.
The crisis isn't confined to the forwards; the goalkeeping department has also been severely compromised, leaving a worrying lack of depth. With both first-choice keeper Marc-André ter Stegen and deputy Joan García currently sidelined with injuries, the club is forced to rely on Wojciech Szczęsny as the only experienced option available. An injury to the veteran Polish keeper would be a disastrous blow, leaving Hansi Flick's coaching staff scrambling to find a viable, experienced/quality replacement from within the ranks.
Despite the serious concerns, Barcelona can take solace in the potential return of several key players ahead of the crucial clash with Real Madrid. The expected comebacks of Ferran Torres, Fermín López, and possibly even Lamine Yamal, could provide a much-needed boost.
Hansi Flick will need to reintegrate these players quickly into the starting lineup, as their presence is vital to reigniting the team’s ambitions and restoring the quality required to compete for silverware on all fronts.