After recent games, especially the emotional comeback against Benfica, the two positions that are almost certain to start in Barcelona's midfield are Pedri and Marc Casado. At the beginning of the season, Dani Olmo was often the starter because Gavi was recovering from an ACL injury. Then Olmo got into financial trouble with Barca and was out of the game for a short time. He has been injured again and is currently out of the game.
Pedri, Gavi, Casado and Olmo are the four midfielders most preferred by Hansi Flick. In the current context, the German coach must soon come up with alternative options.
Last summer, Casado had intended to leave Barca because he was not being used. Flick and Xavi's predecessors did not like Casado so they brought in Ilkay Gundogan from Man City. It was not until Flick took over that Casado was given more playing time and had a chance to shine.
Last summer, during the pre-season, Flick often paired Marc Casado with Marc Bernal. Bernal then suffered a serious ACL injury in the match against Rayo Vallecano and was out for the rest of the season. Left alone to guard the area in front of the defence, the pressure on Casado was greater but because of that, once overcome, the 21-year-old midfielder proved his class.
After a long period of struggling with injury, Pedri has returned and proven he is still a world-class midfielder. Under Hansi Flick, the 22-year-old star is the club's fourth-most played player (2,379 minutes).
Pedri is said to have a similar playing style to the legendary Andres Iniesta. In Flick's scheme, Pedri plays a bit higher than Casado, tending to be closer to the home team's half. If Casado has the role of blocking, Pedri takes on the task of recovering and organizing the play very well.
As for Frenkie de Jong, he is someone who makes Flick very difficult. There have been rumors that the Dutch star and the German coach are not happy with each other. However, no reputable source has confirmed this. According to The Athletic, De Jong has been Barca's best training player in recent weeks.
De Jong’s preferred position is alongside a good defensive midfielder who sweeps behind him so he can get forward. De Jong lost his starting spot to Casado due to injury earlier in the season. Now that Casado has settled in, De Jong has failed to overtake Pedri for a regular starting spot.
Flick’s system will have three midfielders, after Casado and Pedri, the remaining one will be selected to play near the opponent’s penalty area. Currently, there are four options: Gavi, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez and Pablo Torre. Of this group, Olmo is the most qualified and suitable. However, the only problem with Olmo is that he has been plagued by minor injuries, leading to irregular contributions.
Since the beginning of the season, Flick has started Casado, Pedri and Olmo in eight matches. This is the German strategist's favorite midfield trio. The time when the Champions League takes a break after the qualifying round is when the Barca captain needs to make a decision and consider his options one last time.