Hard work pays off
For the first time in forever, F.C. Barcelona’s players are muscle-injury free!
It’s one of those things you don’t really pay that much attention to unless it’s affecting the team, but considering where we were coming from, it deserves a lot of praise.
In fact, it was just over five months ago, on 17 September, when I published an article about how the squad was swamped with injuries.
The concern was real, with up to eight players unavailable, including the likes of Dani Olmo, Ronald Araujo, Gavi and Frenkie De Jong. To make matters worse, five days later, Marc-André Ter Stegen sustained a knee injury against Villarreal that, in the most optimistic scenario, won’t see him return until the final stretch of the season.
The article also included the following sentence: “a thorough restructuring of fitness coaches, recovery specialists and physiotherapists was implemented this summer to tackle the issue”. Naturally, the season isn’t over and anything can happen, but I feel the involved staff members deserve recognition for the miracle they’ve pulled off, so far.
Only Ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are on the sidelines waiting to recover, aside from Andreas Christensen who hasn’t received official clearance but is already training with his teammates. I honestly can’t remember the last time we had so few injuries, and even more surprisingly, no muscle injuries.
With Hansi Flick things have definitely changed for better, not just in how the team plays, but also regarding the players’ commitment and their physical condition. Julio Tous, the club’s leading fitness coach, already stated back in the summer that he and Hansi were on the same wavelength, and that he was given complete freedom to implement his methods.
The results of this excellent understanding are now visible, not only in the drastically reduced number of injuries but also in the players' endurance and stamina.
At the start of the season I was personally surprised to see how Alejandro Balde would often struggle to catch his breath or track back after a few sprints. Now you can perceive a clear improvement in this aspect.
Another player that’s really stepped up his physical condition is Pedri, known for his recurring muscular injuries, who is now running until the very last minute and isn’t flushing due to the effort.
We could also talk about Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Fermín López, Marc Casadó…The team’s positive results are undoubtedly linked to the great fitness planning the squad is following, down to the smallest detail.
But now comes one of the most crucial parts of the season where all this work will come to the test, with the Copa del Rey and Champions League knockout matches following, as well as the arduous task of keeping Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club at bay in LaLiga.