Ahead of last season's Champions League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona's top management had an unpublished meeting with the media. Among the issues discussed, one of them is the consequences of not participating in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
At that time, Barca thought that missing the tournament in the US could cost them a huge prize money, possibly up to 125 million USD for the champion team. This is a pity in the context of the club still struggling with financial difficulties. However, one leader said that it could be a " disguise" for Hansi Flick.
It will be an opportunity for the players to have a real break in the summer. The teams participating in the Club World Cup will start the new season immediately and have a higher risk of injury" - this official said.
However, just 2 months after the start of this year's season, Barca themselves fell into a serious injury storm ahead of El Clasico against Real Madrid on October 26.
Main striker Robert Lewandowski is the latest name to join the list of injured players due to a hamstring injury and having to miss at least 1 month, meaning he will be absent from the big match at Bernabeu.
Last week, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres both withdrew from the Spanish national team due to muscle injuries. Olmo has a strained calf and is unlikely to return against El Clasico, while Torres has hopes to play against Girona this weekend.
Raphinha also had hamstring problems on the same day that goalkeeper Joan Garcia suffered a torn hamstring in a 3-1 win over Real Oviedo in late September. Before that, Fermin Lopez had stopped playing due to a groin injury, while Gavi had to undergo knee surgery and will be out for at least 4-5 months.
Another special case is Lamine Yamal. The 18-year-old star of La Masia returned from the Spanish national team training camp with a groin injury. Hansi Flick was very angry with the way La Roja used this young player when everything was too much. Yamal could not join the national team in October but returned to light training with Barca early last week.
The injury list is still extended for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who had to undergo back surgery at the end of July. In total, Barca have 9 injured players, of which 7 are pillars in Hansi Flick's plan, a number that no one at Camp Nou can expect when the season begins.
The dressing room's staff admitted that they did not understand why the situation was so bad. The team has had a moderate pre-season, including tours to Korea and Japan - replacing the FIFA Club World Cup. The coaching staff also said that they have managed the training volume reasonably, giving the players the right rest at the right time to avoid overload.
Some injuries such as Gavi or Garcia are considered inevitable "sports accidents". However, muscle injuries are another problem, reflecting the risk of overload because the Barca squad is currently too thin. With only 22 players in the first team, captain Hansi Flick was forced to regularly add young players from La Masia. This helps maintain cohesion and development opportunities, but when many pillars are injured, the ability to rotate is almost gone, leading to an increased risk of injury recurrence.
Another reason is said to come from the difference in performance compared to last season. At the same time last year, Barca were 4 points ahead of Real Madrid in La Liga. At that time, Blaugrana played effectively, controlled the game early and could save energy in many matches. Some players even admitted that there were matches where they played as practice matches.
This year, Barca is 2 points behind Real, having to come back to win Levante, Oviedo or Real Sociedad; draw with Rayo Vallecano and lose to PSG and Sevilla. The team has almost no moments to worship and that is the reason why the players are exhausted.
The rare bright spot is that 3 players who can return this weekend are Yamal, Lopez and Torres. They will likely have enough physical strength to be on the list to play against Girona. However, Raphinha, Olmo and Garcia are unlikely to prepare for El Clasico, while Lewandowski is definitely absent.
Two weeks ago, Pedri and Pau Cubasis frankly admitted that their 1-4 defeat to Sevilla was due to not being able to meet the intensity of the competition. Hansi Flick was expected to solve that problem after the national team training session, but now, he has to do it with a shaky squad right in the first key period of the season.
