FC Barcelona has started their new season in the most dominating way possible. With four victories in the four fixtures, the Blaugrana club finds itself at the top of the La Liga table. However, while almost everything has been perfect so far, the club faces a big issue of having the thinnest squad depth ever.
International Breaks: The biggest headache for FC Barcelona?
While star players like de Jong, Gavi, and Ronald Araujo were already injured, Marc Bernal and Fermin Lopez's recent injuries have been much more problematic for the club. But what has been intriguing is the fact that of these, Gavi, Ronald Araujo, and now, recently, Fermin Lopez have all been injured while representing their nation. Thus, the question arises: Are international breaks the biggest headache for FC Barcelona?
Not to forget, Gavi had pulled up an ACL injury when he continued playing in the UEFA Euro Qualifiers for Spain. Moreover, in July, Barca's warrior defender, Ronald Araujo, stretched his hamstring while attempting to block a cross in the Copa Quarterfinals against Brazil. Not only this, but the recent injury of Fermin came when he was training in the national camp.
Clearly, FC Barcelona has faced several injuries while they have sent their players on international duty. While this could be due to fatigue, with the players playing more games than ever, this significant percentage of the club's history record can't be a mere coincidence. On top of that, the recent updates regarding Dani Olmo don't find in good interest for FC Barcelona.
Recently, in the Nations League fixture against Serbia, Barca's dream signing, Dani Olmo, faced a heavy blow, following which the Catalan star had to be subbed off. Though Mundo Deportivo's recent reports suggest that the medical tests claim that Olmo is not injured, he has a knock; the player would not play against Switzerland as a precaution.
In the ongoing international break, almost all Barcelona stars have faced heavy challenges, with Lewandowski for Poland, Lamine Yamal for Spain, and now Olmo as well, while Fermin got ruled out for a month. Moreover, what doesn't find well in Barca's interest is that despite knowing that a majority of Spain's superstars come from Barca, there hasn't been much cooperation from the national side.
Overall, it is evidently very clear that FC Barcelona has been suffering a lot during international breaks. In the one week that is left, the club would hope that they don't lose on a player like Lamine Yamal, who has been overutilized recently without getting much rest.