Even before the start of the season there was an injured player at Barça. Iñigo Martinez, one of the new signings for Xavi, arrived with plantar fasciitis, which made him miss the first three days. And on Wednesday when Ferran Torres He threw himself onto the grass of Montjuïc, desolately clutching his right leg, completing that poisoned circle that is getting bigger and bigger.
77% of the Barcelona squad He was or is still in the infirmary of the Sant Joan Despí sports city, converted into a place of incessant movement where up to nine players currently live together, although Iñigo, precisely, Iñigo Martínez is about to be discharged after chaining two muscle problems.
There, through those fragile muscles, is where Barça often breaks down. Eleven of the 22 injuries (that is, precisely 50%) are due to this weakness, to which there is no answer even from the physical trainers. Nor from the technicians.
The magnitude of the problem is seen when 17 of the 22 footballers have had injuries. Only Iñaki Peña, Oriol Romeu, Gündogan, Fermin and Vitor Roque, who has only been in the club for a month, they have gotten rid of that plague. And of those five, only the former Manchester City captain has the status of untouchable for Xavi, who considers that everything is due to “a criminal calendar” that has made him, for example, play nine games in these 28 hectic days of January where no They have only lost the Super Cup and the Cup but up to eight players have fallen along the way.
Furthermore, five of those injuries have come in the first half. Ferran asked for the change as soon as the game started (minute 4) against Osasuna. João Cancelowho suffered a knee strain after a blow he received when disputing for a ball with Perrone, had only been in Las Palmas for 11 minutes.
Iñigo Martinez He reappeared in Barbastro after being out for six games due to a muscle injury. The Basque central defender barely lasted 10 minutes. He relapsed and had to ask for a change. Bucket, which was torn in San Mamés, barely lasted 23 minutes. And Raphinha, in the Super Cup semi-final, was the one who lasted the longest, although he was at least 42. It was also the Brazilian’s second muscle injury in three months.
Xavi maintains that this endless plague is not due to poor physical preparation but rather blames it all on the calendar, which has been devastating for Barça. He has the technician at nine in the infirmary. Ancelottiwith similar wear and tear, to only three (Courtois, Militao and Alaba) and for the same reason: rupture of the cruciate ligament in the knee. Simeone He has four casualties: Giménez, Azpilicueta, Lemar and Morata, although he is confident of having the forward at the Bernabéu.
Michel He looks at the Girona doctor asking about his five injured: David López, Toni Villa (crossed), Jastin, Joel Roca and Juanpe. And in Bilbao, Valverde He worries about five other players: Lekue, Unai Gómez, Berenguer, Ruiz de Galarreta and Adu Ares.
Nobody has that many like Xavi, who fully trusts Iván Torres, the physical trainer he brought from Al-Saad (Qatar) after having previously worked in Cyprus with Larnaca’s Aek and Nicosia’s Apoel. He then went to England with Leeds, always performing that function having Thomas Christiansenthe former Barça player, among other teams, as coach.
The problem, according to Xavi, does not lie there. “I blame it on the calendar,” he insisted after the hard-fought victory over Osasuna, regretting the loss of Ferran Torres. The last one whose muscles are torn. Although the club has not reported how long he will be out, the first estimates are one month.
“The schedule has been criminal, we have played 9 games in 28 days, and with many trips because most were away from home”
Not even in Spain. Not even in Europe are there any precedents like this. At Manchester City, Guardiola, which has recovered De Bruyne and Haaland, had up to six players injured last December. Klopp Now in Liverpool he also has the same figure: six casualties. Artetaat Arsenal, only has three.
“There will always be injuries, always,” said Xavi, trying to mitigate the magnitude of the problem. Upon his arrival in Barcelona (November 2021), the coach reorganized the entire medical staff – Ricard Pruna, who had been at Barça from 1995 to 2020, was brought from Dubai – and renewed the group of physiotherapists who care for the footballers. . But the injuries have not stopped in recent months, especially in January
“The schedule has been criminal, we have played 9 games in 28 days, and with a lot of trips because the majority were away from home,” argued the coach. “It’s normal, we have a short squad. It’s not long. There are many circumstances that mean there are more injuries this month than in the others,” explained Xavi.
What is not at all normal is so much physical problem, which has forced him to turn to youngsters (Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Fort, Marc Guiu) who have not even had a previous experience with Barça Atlètic. Now that Iñigo Martínez will return this Saturday in Vitoria and next week Ter Stegen against Granada (February 11), Xavi sees two new tenants (João Félix, with a sprained ankle, and Ferran Torres, with a muscle injury, the eleventh) They live in the infirmary.
2024-02-02 06:19:24
#Xavis #Barça #torn #players #injured #season
