The center-back added his first start in the nine games that have been played so far this season
Relegated to a secondary role, he was not part of the starting eleven since May 1, on matchday 34 of last year
The ninth was the charm. Gerard Piqué had to wait for the ninth game of the season to see his name among the eleven chosen to start. He did it yesterday, in a Spotify Camp Nou filled to the brim, and against Manchester City in a charity match to raise funds in the fight against ALS.
Absent due to injury in the first two preseason games (Olot and Inter Miami), he was a substitute in the following four friendlies: against Real Madrid, Juventus, New York Red Bulls and Pumas UNAM. Nor was he a starter in any of the first two days of the League -against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad-in fact, has not come to dress short in the domestic competition.
The last time he did so was against Mallorca on matchday 34 of last season, when he had to leave the pitch after half an hour due to an injury that forced him to end the season prematurely. Total, 115 days have passed since the match against the Balearic team and his last start, yesterday against Manchester City.
Piqué’s role has changed from essential last season to residual so far this season. In the absence of being able to register Jules Kounde as a new footballer for Barça’s first team, the second captain starts as the team’s fifth central defender. Xavi seems to have decided on Eric and Christensen before the ‘3’ of Barça, in addition to -obviously- Araujo. When the situation with the former Sevilla player is normalized, it seems that he will also start from a higher rung than Piqué.
