The worst enemy of Hansi Flick's excel

BarcelonaHeads and tails in the return to work for Barça this Monday after a few days off. The good news: Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde are already training partially with the group and are expected to receive medical clearance before Saturday's visit to the Metropolitano, the first of a marathon of three games against Atlético de Madrid. Neither of them will be able to play from the start, but the prediction at the blaugrana club is that both the Catalan and the Frenchman, at least, will be able to sit on the bench. Both were injured in the same match: precisely against Los Colchoneros in the second leg of the Copa semi-finals played at the Camp Nou on March 3rd, in which Balde came on to replace Kounde.

This Saturday will mark exactly one month of recovery that the club's medical services predicted for the two defenders. On the other hand, Frenkie de Jong will still have to wait a little longer, and continues to train separately. He injured the distal biceps of his right leg during a training session with Barça on February 26th. In his case, the estimated time off was between five and six weeks. His presence, however, is not yet ruled out for the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Simeone's team.

The downside, obviously, is Raphinha's absence, who has permission to stay a few days in Brazil, where he has started his recovery. The Brazilian winger, along with Lamine Yamal and Pedri, is one of the three fundamental pillars of the squad. While the Rocafonda winger provides balance and differential talent and the Canary midfielder guides the entire team's play, Raphinha is the forward who guarantees the most work, leading the initial press. Furthermore, he is one of the most loved and respected leaders in the locker room.

The Brazilian will be out for five weeks and will miss the three duels against Simeone's team, who did not hesitate to praise him in December. "I don't understand how they haven't given him the Ballon d'Or. I love him. He plays well wherever you put him and scores beautiful goals," said the Argentine coach after losing (3-1) at the Camp Nou on December 2nd. This is the third time Raphinha has injured the same area of his right leg this season. This time with Brazil, in the friendly against France played on Thursday in Boston.

Barça's discontent with FIFA

This is where Barcelona's discontent lies: the club understands that their internationals want to play for their national teams, but regrets the packed match calendar, as well as the thousands and thousands of kilometers of travel involved, and how this affects the athletes' rest. These are factors that completely undermine the clubs' preparation and, in Barcelona's case, the excellent playing time for the footballers that Flick relies on, in a year already complicated by repeated muscle injuries and which has led some footballers – Raphinha himself, as well as Lamine Yamal, Olmo, or Balde, among others – to express their dissatisfaction with the physical preparation directed by some of the club's professionals.

Raphinha got injured in Boston, but for example, João Cancelo had to travel to Mexico to play a friendly on Sunday, and tomorrow Portugal plays in Atlanta, in the United States. With Raphinha out, Barcelona still has fourteen players called up for their national teams: Joan Garcia, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Fermín, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford, João Cancelo, Roony Bardghji, Robert Lewandowski, Ronald Araujo, Marc Bernal, and Xavi Espart. The latter two are with Spain U-21 and U-19, respectively. They all have one more match to play. Joan, Cubarsí, Pedri, Olmo, Fermín, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran face Egypt today (9 PM, La 1) at the RCDE Stadium. Also today, Rashford plays against Japan in Wembley, and Araujo plays against Algeria in Turin. On the same day, Bernal plays against Kosovo in Alcalá de Henares, and Espart against the Netherlands in Benidorm.

At Barcelona's Ciutat Esportiva, they are crossing their fingers to avoid any further setbacks. Eric Garcia has stayed in Barcelona recovering from minor muscle discomfort. "He has been with me in the U-19, U-21, and Olympic teams. He is highly valued by everyone and by me, and he has every chance [of going to the World Cup]. He has had a minor injury, and perhaps that's why he hasn't come. There are two months left, and many things can still happen," said the Spanish national team coach Luis de la Fuente.

The FIFA virus is neither new nor the first time it has caused trouble this season. Olmo and Lamine Yamal, who was affected by osteitis pubis in the first part of the season, have also been victims, with the latter being the protagonist of one of the sagas at the beginning of the campaign, when Flick harshly accused De la Fuente of not taking sufficient care of the footballers.

when Flick harshly accused De la Fuente of not taking sufficient care of the footballers.