Ronald Araujo: a crisis that has been brewing for a long time

BarcelonaAt this point, the fundamental role by Alejandro Echevarría In today's Barça, he can no longer hide. Joan Laporta's former brother-in-law holds the keys to the first team's dressing room. He is far more present in the day-to-day life at the Joan Gamper Training Ground than the president, any board member, and even the sporting director, Anderson Luis de Souza. DecoHe has the complete picture of what's happening, a direct line to the footballers and most of the members of thestaff Hansi Flick's approach and, very importantly, the control over what is acceptable and unacceptable to publish in the media.

In this sense, if the German coach spoke of "a private matter" to justify Ronald Araujo's absence for the second consecutive match, it was after the omnipresent Echevarría suggested he handle the situation however he could with the journalists. His priority is protecting the players, and the Uruguayan is one of those who has placed the most trust in him. In fact, his role was key in securing Araujo's contract renewal a few months ago, despite Juventus' interest in signing him. However, by the end of last week, there was already a feeling in the locker room that the "stomach virus" he cited for missing the league match against Alavés was actually a mental health issue. Laporta himself also suspected this, taking advantage of a promotional event in Andorra to send him words of encouragement.

It's worth noting that the positive version of events only reached the city's newsrooms because the footballer's entourage wanted it to. The deception couldn't be sustained any longer because the issue wouldn't be resolved in the short term. Internally, there was confidence that Araujo would be content with a little rest after believing himself solely responsible for the painful situation. undone at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea. But the center-back not only failed to lift spirits ahead of Atlético's visit to the Camp Nou, but on Sunday night he contacted first his team and then the club to explain that he wasn't psychologically fit to play football. The following day, the Barça vice-captain authorized professional help to try to overcome an emotional slump that, according to dressing room sources speaking to this newspaper, is neither recent nor will it be resolved in two days.

A European 2024 qualifier

The diagnosis is that the player suffers from reactive anxiety disorder, triggered by his sending-off in the last Champions League match, but the causes of this situation go back much further. In fact, there are even those within the club who say that Araujo has been struggling with problems that go beyond the physical aspect since the fateful tie against Paris Saint-Germain last season with Xavi Hernández on the bench. And not because of the sending-off that buried Barça's chances in the first half of the second leg, but because of what Luis Enrique Martínez revealed in his documentary, broadcast months later. In that piece produced by Movistar, the Asturian coach is seen making the following reflection while preparing for the match against Barça: "Araujo is a player topBut he has trouble playing the ball out from the back. Every time he receives it, we block a passing lane and we're caught out." Lucho prioritized having his forwards pressure Pau Cubarsí, who was a minor at the time, and Araujo was sent off precisely when he was trying to recover from a turnover he himself had committed. "Luis Enrique singled out Araujo worldwide with those statements," "Ronald has seen for months that despite being 100% physically fit, he's not able to perform on the pitch as Barcelona fans expect of him." Stamford Bridge was the final straw, and now he has to recover his mental game like any other muscle,” sources close to the defender told this newspaper. He already knows the club won't rush his return. He will train separately to maintain his fitness, but the top priority is to prevent a recurrence. Since Laia Vinaixa, the psychologist who was on staff at Barça until recently, left to work in Saudi Arabia with Ramon Planes, Araujo will have to seek treatment from external specialists to feel he can compete at the highest level in the world.