Just three players Barcelona players have remained available for entire season
Not only did Barcelona miss what felt like perhaps their last chance to reopen the title race on Sunday with their 0-0 draw against Athletic Club on Sunday night, but injury blows to Frenkie de Jong and Pedri thrust their progression in the Champions League into serious doubt too.
De Jong is set to be out for around a month with an ankle sprain, while Pedri will miss 5-6 weeks following a fourth hamstring issue this season. It leaves Xavi with a paucity of options in midfield, but the reality is that he has done nothing but improvise this season.
As reported by Sport, Ilkay Gundogan, Inaki Pena and Fermin Lopez are the only players to have remained fit and available all season for Xavi. Undoubtedly Real Madrid have had their injuries, and have adapted better, but fitness issues will once again feature high up the list of reasons that Barcelona have thus far been below par this season. Four of their squad (Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Alejandro Balde, Marcos Alonso and Gavi) have had to undergo surgery too.
Part of the reason for their struggles will be a short squad packed with youngsters or veterans, but also their inability to control games or settle them early will have played a part too. Unfortunately for the next manager in charge, it seems unlikely they will be able to fill out the squad much in the summer.
Image via Alex Caparros/Getty Images
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